Temporary street lights could be coming to Bell Boulevard

By Casey Horn

BELLEVILLE– Too much traffic on Bell Boulevard since the Shorelines Casino opened could lead to temporary street lights being put up.

During city council on Monday, Councillor Jack Miller suggested temporary measures may be necessary to make the area safer until something more permanent can be put in place.

Rod Bovay, director of engineering & development services for Belleville, says that the city’s Transportation Master Plan includes updates to improve Bell Boulevard before 2026, but the city could choose to do those sooner if necessary.

“The Transportation Master Plan is not set in stone. If there’s more development in that area council can choose when to do it. They can move things around when needed.”

Banks of lights over the Shorelines Casino parking lots, Jan. 26, 2017. Photo by Casey Horn, QNet News.

Bovay also says that originally they thought the light from the casino and its parking lots would be enough to illuminate the streets but that “if some people still find it a bit dark it might be necessary to put in some extra lighting to help.”

One issue is that the city does not actually own the hydro poles on the sides of the road. According to Belleville’s local power company, Veridian, the poles belong to Bell Canada. 

“The longest wait would be getting approval from whoever owns the poles. They would have to agree to let us use those,” said Bovay.

The casino opened January 10 in the west end of the city and has seen a steady flow of hopeful gamblers in the week’s since.