Waterloo Region Record By Kevin Swayze
WATERLOO REGION — Light rail transit construction. Widening of highways 7/8 and 401. Rebuilding Franklin Boulevard.
It’s adding up to a road construction season like few others in the history of Waterloo Region.
The value of the work is difficult to accurately calculate, with road works intertwined with the costs of putting down train tracks through Kitchener and Waterloo. Ontario government officials won’t release Highway 401 project cost estimates before contracts are awarded. Nor have contractors been hired for some of the big local government road projects — like Franklin — so only estimates, at best, are available.
The list below includes major projects that will impact traffic for weeks or months at a time. Costs are included where a tender has been approved or a budget estimate was immediately available.
Timing is estimated and may vary depending on tender approvals or weather.
The list doesn’t include comparatively minor projects like spot paving or concrete curb repairs, which might cause a detour for a few days or nights.
CAMBRIDGE
1 — Highway 401 widening to 10 lanes between Highway 8 and Hespeler Road — four-year project begins in April, with widening work at railway and Speed River bridges, new outside lanes, Hespeler Road bridge repairs.
2 — Fountain Street North bridge replacement — bridge closed April through November, preparation for Highway 401 widening will close lanes and reduce speeds
3 — Avondale Road — water main replacement, June through October, part of $1.6-million project including nearby streets
4 — Beaverdale Road — bridge and culvert replacements, closures July through October, $750,000
5 — Bergey Street — water, sewer and road construction, closed April through June, $1 million
6 — Bishop Street (Conestoga to Concession) — road reconstruction, summer through fall
7 — Blair Road (Grant to Parkhill) — water, sewer and road reconstruction, closed June through October, $1.2 million
8 — Churchill Drive (Barrie to St. Andrews) — water, sewer and road reconstruction, closed May through July, $1.5 million
9 — Davidson Street — water, sewer and road reconstruction, July through September, joint $1.2-million project with McKenzie Street
10 — Dumfries Street (Tait to Glenmorris) — water, sewer and road reconstruction, April through October, $3.4 million
11 — Elizabeth Street — water main replacement, June through October, part of $1.6 million project including nearby streets
12 — Franklin Boulevard (Highway 401 to Can-Amera) — reconstruction, new median and building roundabouts, spring 2015 through fall 2016, $14 million
13 — Franklin Boulevard (Main to Clyde) — reconstruction, new median and building roundabouts, spring 2015 through fall 2016, $11 million
14 — Gerrard Avenue — water main replacement, June through October, part of $1.6-million project including nearby streets
15 — Hespeler Village streetscape and water main — Queen Street, Harvey to Cooper, Guelph Avenue and Adam Street, May through November, $4.6 million
16 — Hopewell Drive — reconstruction, July through October, $2.2 million in conjunction with Severn Avenue
17 — Langs Drive (Trico to Industrial) — reconstruction continuing through June, $1.7 million
18 — Lowell and McNaughton streets — reconstruction April through June, $905,000
19 — McKenzie Street — water, sewer and road reconstruction, July through September, joint $1.2-million project with Davidson Street
20 — Montrose Street (Hamilton to Rose) — reconstruction April through June, $975,000
21 — Samuelson Street — water main replacement, July through October, $350,000
22 — Severn Avenue — reconstruction, July through October, $2.2 million in conjunction with Hopewell Drive
23 — Sheffield Street — reconstruction, July through October, $1.6 million
24 — Sheldon Drive (Franklin to Conestoga) — reconstruction, May through October, $1.6 million
25 — Shettleston Drive — reconstruction, June through October, $1.6 million
26 — Maple Street and Valley Drive — reconstruction, June through October, $1.2 million
27 — Walker Street (Panabaker to Flynn at Queen) — reconstruction, June through October, $1.6 million
28 — Wellington Street (Dickson to Main) — reconstruction summer and fall
29 — Whitley Street (Oakwood to Eagle) — reconstruction, July through October, $580,000
30 — William Street (Westminster to Lowther) — reconstruction, July through October, $810,000
KITCHENER
1 — Highway 85/Conestoga Parkway paving (Krug to Lancaster) — resurfacing, spring through summer
2 — Highway 7/8 (west city limits to Courtland) — highway widening continues with bridge reconstruction at Ottawa and Homer Watson interchanges, project continues through 2016
3 — Bloomingdale Road (Bridge to Kraft) — road rehabilitation, summer
4 — Borden Avenue (Charles to Courtland) — LRT construction, closed through summer
5 — Brick Street — reconstruction, $988,000 (in conjunction with Rosedale Avenue)
6 — Bridge Street — rehabilitation, June through September
7 — Charles Street (Borden to Victoria) — LRT construction, spring through fall
8 — Delisle Avenue — reconstruction, April through September, $1.9 million (conjunction with Peltz Avenue)
9 — Donley Street — reconstruction, July through October, $2.4 million (in conjunction with Kelvin Avenue and Meinzinger Avenue)
10 — Duke Street (Frederick to Victoria) — lanes closures for LRT work, summer or fall
11 — Francis Street (King to Duke) — LRT construction lane closures, summer or fall
12 — Franklin Street (at Highway 8) — bridge closed to traffic for repairs, spring through summer
13 — Guelph Street at Conestoga Parkway — road closed for bridge widening and road lowering, starts in May, preliminary stage of building new Highway 7 to Guelph.
14 — Highland Road (Patricia to Westmount) — road improvements spring through fall, with a weekend closure of Belmont intersection
15 — Kelvin Avenue — reconstruction, July through October, $2.4 million (in conjunction with Donley Street and Meinzinger Avenue)
16 — Kennedy Avenue — reconstruction, July through October, $1.15 million (in conjunction with Palmer Avenue)
17 — King Street (Victoria to Wellington) — construction of road and LRT underpass at train tracks, work continues into fall 2016
18 — King Street (Wellington to Union) — LRT underground works continue into fall
19 — Manitou Drive widening (Fairway to Bleams) — spring through fall, includes full closure of Schneider Creek bridge starting in July
20 — Maple Avenue (Union to Arnold) — reconstruction, April through October, $2.5 million (in conjunction with Union Street)
21 — Margaret Avenue — bridge replacement continues, $5.3 million
22 — Meinzinger Avenue — reconstruction, July through October, $2.4 million (in conjunction with Kelvin Avenue and Donley Street)
23 — New Dundee Road (Robert Ferrie to Dodge) — new sanitary sewer, work continues into early 2016, $4.5 million
24 — Ottawa Street (Charles to Mill) — LRT work, summer through fall
25 — Palmer Avenue — reconstruction, July through October, $1.15 million (in conjunction with Kennedy Avenue)
26 — Peltz Avenue — reconstruction, April through September, $1.9 million (conjunction with Delisle Avenue)
27 — Pioneer Drive — bridge rehabilitation, August through November, $458,000
28 — Rosedale Avenue (Ottawa to Brick) — reconstruction, $988,000 (in conjunction with Brick Street)
29 — Samuel Street (Cameron to Stirling) — reconstruction, June to October, $1.9 million (in conjunction with Simeon Street)
30 — Siebert Avenue — reconstruction, April through September, $2.1 million
31 — Shirley Avenue extension — Initial work on new Highway 7 to Guelph, work starts in early fall
32 — Simeon Street (Cameron to Weber) — reconstruction, June to October. $1.9 million (in conjunction with Samuel Street)
33 — Stahl Avenue — reconstruction, August to November, $988,000 (in conjunction with Wilhelm Street)
34 — Stirling Avenue (Mill to Russell) — reconstruction, April through July, $685,000
35 — Union Street (Lancaster to Sereda) — reconstruction, April through October, $2.5 million (in conjunction with Maple Avenue)
36 — Victoria Street (King to Charles) — lanes closed for LRT construction, summer or fall
37 — Weber Street widening (College to Union) — lane closures and four complete closures overnight for surface asphalt paving, work in spring, finishes project
38 — Wellington Street bridge at Conestoga Parkway — bridge rehabilitation, May through October
39 — Wilhelm Street (Duke to Weber) — reconstruction, August to November, $988,000 (in conjunction with Stahl Avenue)
WATERLOO
1 — Albert Street (at University) — sewer expansion, 2015 construction season
2 — Allen Street East (Weber to Erb) — reconstruction, spring through fall, $1.8 million
3 — Balsam Street (Hemlock to Larch) — water main work, 2015 construction season
4 — Bisch Street (Erbsville to city limits) — road reconstruction, 2015 construction season
5 — Columbia Street West (St. Moritz to Wilmot Line) — 2015 construction season
6 — Conestoga Parkway (Bridgeport Rd to King St at St. Jacobs) — Paving and bridge repairs continue through fall, with nightly ramp closures at interchanges
7 — Caroline Street (Allen to Erb) — LRT work continues into summer
8 — Elgin Street (Regina to Peppler) — sewer rehabilitation, summer through fall, $700,000 sewer rehabilitation
9 — Hemlock Street (University to Balsam) — water main work, 2015 construction season
10 — King Street (Erb to Union) — LRT work planned, summer 2015
11 — King Street (Northfield to Conestoga Mall) — LRT work, lane closures spring through fall
12 — King Street (Weber to Conestoga Mall) — road improvements, spring and summer
13 — Northfield Drive (Highway 85 to King) — LRT work land closures spring 2015 through fall 2016
14 — Westmount Road (immediately north of University) — retaining wall repairs in the summer
NORTH DUMFRIES TOWNSHIP
Spragues Road (Brant County line to Wrigley Road) — reconstruction, spring through summer
(No significant township road projects planned in 2015)
WILMOT TOWNSHIP
Grant Street and William Street, New Hamburg — road reconstruction, May through July, $500,000
Wilmot Centre Road (Bleams to Huron) — repaving, summer, $250,000
Bean Road (Walker to Oxford) — tar and chip hardtop surface installation, $400,000
WELLESLEY TOWNSHIP
Information not provided
WOOLWICH TOWNSHIP
Benjamin Road (Westmount to Kressler) — repaving, summer (part of a joint project with City of Waterloo’s Bisch Road rebuilding)
Floradale Bridge — replacement, June through September, $850,000
Woolwich Street in Breslau (Dolman to Joseph) — reconstruction, April through September, $2.6 million