Belleville to replace CP railway overpass

By Isaiah Mawhinney

The project is operating on a $17.4m budget and is expecting to be completed by December 2016. Photo from Build Belleville

BELLEVILLE – There will be big changes to Bay Bridge Road and the bridge over the CP Rail line by December this year, according Elisha Purchase of Build Belleville. And those changes will have an impact on Dundas Street West as well.

“Dundas Street West from Coleman Street to Sidney Street is being reconstruction as part of the Bay Bridge Road/ CP Rail Overhead Replacement & Dundas Street West Reconstruction Project,” said Purchase. “The website map shows construction as far west as Holden Street but it does extend all the way to Sidney Street.”

The Bay Bridge Road / CP Overpass is being funded by federal gas tax, while the Dundas Street West construction is being funded by the Small Communities Fund.

The intersection that connects Dundas Street with Bay Bridge Road is a hotspot for traffic. It is regularly busy and turning left can sometimes be extremely difficult.

This rehabilitation project is intended to steady the flow of traffic and provide wider resurfacing and dual left turning lanes.

“The work on Dundas Street West includes the replacement of the existing 450 mm diameter cast iron watermain constructed in 1931 which is at the end of its service life. The combination of a wider structure and widening of Dundas Street West will address traffic issues experienced during peak hours,” said Purchase.

This construction will affect those who use public transit. Traffic delays are almost inevitable when dealing with such a big project.

19-year-old student Pim Bender, is a frequent user of Belleville transit and says construction along the bus route is a major inconvenience,

“The construction on that route (sometimes means delays) and the bus has to go all the way around. But the last time I went they (didn’t) go the route it said on the schedule.”

“So it’s very inconvenient that the bus does not take the same route that it normally does and there is no other bus that goes that way. There is no way for me to get to Aji Sai without taking a cab,” Bender said, referring to a local sushi restaurant.

The project will also introduce a new multi-use pedestrian path that will connect east and west of Zwick’s Park.

Construction will not only rehabilitate the issues on the road, but implement a new user friendly lookout according to the Build Belleville website.

“The development of gateway features at the intersection of Bay Bridge Road and Dundas Street West will also add an element of design as visitors enter this gateway into the City of Belleville,” Purchase added.