Following is a list of road construction projects and events provided by the City of Kingston that are expected to have an impact on traffic flow next week:
Motorists, cyclists and pedestrians: review the listing of streets and related messages below for travel information of interest to you.
Road Closures
- Lower Brewers Swing Bridge – closed until further notice. Parks Canada is continuing its efforts to replace the bridge over the winter.
- Market Street – Ontario to King – closed Dec. 10 and 11 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. each day for the Snow Much Fun event and Holiday Market.
- University Avenue – Union to Earl – closed until Jan. 21, 2023 at 7 p.m. for the removal of debris from demolition and concrete deliveries at the Queen’s John Deutsch University Centre project.
- Wright Crescent – South Intersection of Palace to 16 Palace – closed until Jan. 31, 2023 for construction staging for 11 Wright Cres. Please note that access to Wright Cres. will be through the North intersection of Wright Cres. at Palace Rd.
School Streets Initiative
Please direct questions to Kingston Coalition for Active Transportation (KCAT) at schoolstreetygk@gmail.com
The following streets are closed from 8:40 a.m. to 9:10 a.m. and 3:20 p.m. to 3:50 p.m. weekdays until June 29, 2023:
- MacDonnell Street – Earl to Hill
- Sydenham Street – Ordnance to Colborne
Waaban Crossing
We are excited to share that the Waaban Crossing will open on Dec. 13! The bridge will open in the late afternoon/early evening following a proclamation, ribbon cutting ceremony, and first trip across by the winners of the United Way auction. We will share updates on municipal channels throughout the afternoon that day as we prepare to open the bridge. A reminder that until the bridge is open, the site remains an active construction site and no public access is permitted.
Opening schedule: Tuesday, Dec. 13
- Morning and early afternoon – The bridge and roadway remain closed to the public.
- 2 – 2:30 p.m. – Project staff and dignitaries gather on the east shore of the bridge at Gore Road for the official ribbon cutting.
- 2:45 p.m. – United Way KFL&A auction winners take their first walk, ride or drive across the bridge.
- Early evening – Barricades will be lifted once the winners have completed their trip and the bridge will be open to vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians. The exact time will depend on the length of the trip.
After three years of construction, we know that many community members share our excitement about using this new crossing to travel across the city. It took decades of community conversation and planning to build the bridge and it will be here for MANY more decades to come, so it will still be there even if you don’t get a chance to cross it on the first day. We appreciate your patience as everyone enjoys their first walk, ride or drive across the bridge in the coming days and weeks.
Traffic patterns will take a bit of time to normalize while we all get a chance to use the new bridge. We will be monitoring traffic and will likely need to make signal timing adjustments at this intersection in the coming weeks and months as the ‘normal’ pattern becomes established.
As you travel across the bridge, you may notice some shoreline areas that don’t appear finished. Our landscaping and site restoration work started this fall, and any remaining landscaping work that could not be finished due to winter weather will carry over to spring/summer 2023. This work is restoring areas in the project site that were required to support the bridge construction.
Upcoming Parking Lot Closures
The King Queen parking lot (282 Ontario Street) and a portion of the Drury lot (51 Queen Street) will be closed on November 14th ,2022 due to the construction of a new mixed-use building beginning in November. The building at 18 Queen Street and 282 Ontario Street, known as Block 5, was recently approved by the Ontario Land Tribunal and is proceeding through Site Plan Control (File D11-022-2022). The future 23 storey tower and 5 storey podium building to be developed by Homestead Land Holdings Inc., will provide commercial spaces at grade, two floors of new office space, and 151 new residential units in the downtown core for the Kingston community. The portion of the Drury lot that is closed will be used for construction staging.
The City has a range of parking options for short-term parkers throughout Kingston. Community members can access alternate parking options by visiting CityofKingston.ca/parking.
Robert Bruce Garage Closure
- The Robert Bruce Memorial Parking Restoration project is scheduled to get underway the first week of August and will be closed on Friday, July 29 in preparation for the work to commence. The work is expected to conclude in late November.
- The work will take place throughout both levels of the building for structural rehabilitation and building envelop rehabilitation, upgrading of lighting and repair/replacement of railings and bollards. Both parking levels will be closed to the public for the duration of the project.
- There is parking availability at both the Chown and Hanson parking garages in the adjacent blocks to the east and west of the Robert Bruce.
Other Delays
- Johnson Street – Frontenac to Alfred – expect a lane closure Dec. 15 to 16 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day for a tree removal by City of Kingston forestry crews.
- Front Road – Sand Bay Lane to Country Club Drive – expect traffic delays due to lane reduction to a single lane each direction until the end of 2022, as crews install a new water main and sanitary force main for Utilities Kingston.
- Highway 33 – east of Collins Creek Bridge to west of Coronation Blvd. – expect delays due to construction to improve drainage. Construction barrels and flag-people will direct traffic around the work zone.
- Jackson Mills Road – near the K & P Trail – reduced to one lane for roadside safety improvements but remains open in both directions.
Sidewalks/Pathways
- Portsmouth Waterfront Pathway – to accommodate pathway and shoreline improvements, the City has closed access to the pathway at the foot of Mowat Ave. and Yonge St. and east of Lakewatch Ln.
Release source: City of Kingston
Photo via PixaBay (cc0)
