Asphalt at last for Hintonburg stretch of Wellington
An update on road reconstruction from Annie Hillis of the Wellington West Business Improvement Area:
Did you ever think you would be so happy to see asphalt??
Wellington St West is now paved with the first layer of asphalt all the way from Parkdale Avenue to Merton Street! We can confirm that both the contractor and the weather are sticking to schedule and the roadway is slated to be paved and open again to two-way traffic by Nov 15th. We’re also happy to report that the c ontractor has been leaving the site with a minimum of three open stretches for parking along Wellington St West, unencumbered by supplies or equipment.
Note that new sidewalk curbs are being installed between McCormick and Carruthers. The set of curbs that were installed last month rang alarm bells for area businesses and residents as it appeared that the roadway would be too narrow for buses, motorists and cyclists to jointly negotiate.
Councillor Christine Leadman called a meeting with construction staff and City officials, and after the consultation, plans were redrawn to make the roadway wider in that area. The focus on narrowing the distance between the north and south sides of the street with bulb-outs and redesigned intersections has been made with the goal to increase pedestrian safety. In this case however, maybe the emphasis went a bit overboard. Thank you to the City and Councillor Leadman for listening to local concerns!
The paved road is a bonus for Taste of Wellington West visitors next Saturday, September 26th (1:30 – 3:30pm) when 32 local food shops and restaurants will be offering free tastes of their house specialties to the public. Please see the Calendar of Events at www.wellingtonwest.ca for more info and a map. Please note too that other businesses will be participating as well. Elmdale House Tavern for instance has arranged live music on the sidewalk; Renu Spa is offering some free ‘taster’ services like chair massages, skin analysis, hand and arm massage, etc.
Come walk around Wellington West — there’s a lot to check out!
