Staff
As work on the Portage Avenue underpass resumes this week, the road will be completely closed to daytime traffic until Friday afternoon.
From 9 a.m.-7 p.m. tomorrow through Thursday, and then from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Friday, both lanes of the road will be closed.
“This first road closure is necessary to ensure public safety as the contractor will be removing a section of the east abutment footing and the available clearance for construction equipment performing this task is limited,” Operation and Facilities manager Doug Brown said in an e-mail Friday.
In the following weeks, the road either will be closed to one lane or completely shut down to daytime traffic.
This will be determined on a weekly basis, depending on the type of construction work to be done.
When complete road closures do occur, they will be on the following days of the week:
•Sunday to Thursday from 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; and
•Friday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
No road closures are scheduled to occur on Saturdays.
Emergency vehicles will have access through the construction site if there is an incident in the north end of the community.
A pedestrian walkway also will be maintained at all times (seven days a week, 24 hours a day) during this project, although the alignment of it will change based on the construction activity.
Based on the construction schedule, the tasks or construction events this summer can be summarized as follows:
•saw cut and remove a section of the east abutment concrete footing;
•construction of the west side concrete sidewalk and curb;
•construction of the west side concrete laneway;
•construction of the east side abutment wall and concrete laneway;
•place asphalt pavement; and
•install perimeter fencing.
Complete road closures will be more frequent at the start of the work until about Sept. 7, which corresponds with construction of the west sidewalk, curb, and laneway.
