Stouffville spending $200,000 to keep street open during construction

Yorkregion.com
June 16, 2016
By Ali Raza

Main Street reconstruction is set to begin this summer, with the first phase of the four-year project beginning in July.

The section of Main Street between Tenth Line and Stouffer Street will have its road resurfaced, water mains and sanitary sewers replaced, new curbs installed and sidewalks repaired. Work for the first phase is scheduled to be completed by October this year.

Council approved the start of construction at a meeting last week and decided to keep one lane open after an intense debate.

Regarding traffic management, council discussed two options. The first option involved closing the section of Main between Tenth Line and Stouffer Street, only allowing access for local traffic.

The second option involved keeping one lane open, while construction is conducted on the adjacent lane.

The cost of keeping a lane open is $200,000.

“I can’t see how we can shut a section of the street down,” Councillor Rob Hargrave said during the meeting. “Residential streets aren’t built to take the additional flow of traffic.”

“$200,000 is a small price. With the other option you save $200,000 but all that traffic floods into our residential streets and it’ll be problematic. What happens if someone gets killed because of the overflow? What’s the cost then?”

But Councillor Hugo Kroon disagreed, likening the project to a “bandage you can pull slowly or all at once and get it done and over with”.

Kroon continued to explain his position of closing the section of road and getting it done as quickly as possible.

“If this project goes longer, it’s going to be far more of an inconvenience,” he said. “We seem to be way too easy throwing money around, I don’t recommend spending an additional $200,000.”

Kroon’s motion to close the section of Main Street, however, was defeated.

But concerns about residents who will be directly affected by construction were raised by Councillor Iain Lovatt. Director of public works Rob Flindall reassured council that houses would have restricted access for less than a day and will receive ample notice. A town staff member will be on-site with contractors to act as a liaison with residents.

The project’s goals are to replace aging infrastructure, accommodate intensification, identify upgrades, enhance aesthetics and improve pedestrian safety.

“Main Street has been in need of reconstruction for many years,” said Mayor Justin Altmann in a press release this week. “I know residents and businesses have been looking forward to this for a long time.”