Thunder Bay – Local News – In 2020, the City of Thunder Bay spent $18 million on road and sidewalk rehabilitation, residential paving, sanitary and storm sewers, watermain repair/replacement, bridge and culvert work, and streetlight renewal.
“In this challenging year, we would like to express special thanks to residents for their patience during the road work season and it’s related road closures, detours and delays,” says Kayla Dixon, the Director – Engineering & Operations. “We were able to complete some ambitious projects to enhance the City’s infrastructure.”
Highlights from the 2020 construction season include:
Major Arterial Road Work
- Completion of work on Balmoral Street, including a rebuild of the intersection at Balmoral Street & Harbour Expressway with double turn lanes, continuation of multi-use trails on both sides of the street, and replacement of the existing ditches with storm sewers. This is the second phase of a four-phase project that will extend to Beverly Street.
- Pavement resurfacing of major arterial roads on sections of Dawson Road from Skyline Avenue to Hazelwood Drive, River Street from Madeline Street to High Street, and James Street from Kingston Street to Frederica Street (which also included storm sewer replacement).
Traffic Signals, Pedestrian Crossovers, Pedestrian Overpass
- Installation of four new pedestrian crossovers at these locations: John Street & Marlborough Street; Pioneer Drive & Wyndale Street; Court Street & McVicar Street; and Neebing Avenue & Mary Street.
- Progress on the Marina Pedestrian Overpass with projected completion date of Aug. 2021, due to necessary repairs to the structure.
- Installation of a new set of traffic signals at Arthur Street & Ford Street (enhancing the multi-use trail). Features include new pedestrian detection technology that is intended to improve accessibility of pedestrian signals. The traffic signals will be activated on Thursday, Nov. 26.
Boulevard Lake Dam Project
- Completion by mid-December of the first year of work on the Boulevard Lake Dam, with the expectation to resume higher water levels in 2021, while the remaining work on the Dam is completed. The walkway will remain closed through the winter and during construction in 2021.
Multi-Use Trail Network
- Extension of the multi-use trail network on the east side of Ford Street, from Rankin Street to Moodie Street. This new trail provides safe off-road pedestrian and cyclist access, connecting Walsh Street to Confederation College, Lakehead University, and the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.
Street Rehabilitation, Sewer Work & Sidewalks
- Full underground replacement of sewer and watermain on sections of Syndicate Avenue, Brodie Street, McKellar Street, Sills Street and Norah Street.
- Rehabilitation of Tupper Street from Prospect Avenue to Jean Street, including a significant storm sewer upgrade and replacement of sections of the sanitary sewer. The watermain was completely renewed, including lead service pipes. Curbs, gutters and sidewalks were replaced and the road resurfaced.
- Complete rebuilds of Amelia Street from Edward Street to Ford Street, and of Minnesota Street from Southern Avenue to Pacific Avenue. The sanitary sewers and watermains, including lead service pipes, were rebuilt. Curbs, gutters and sidewalks were rebuilt and the road resurfaced. Street lights were replaced.
- Resurfacing and watermain replacement on Simpson Street between Pacific Avenue and Southern Avenue.
- 1,350m of new sidewalks were installed in gap locations that serve Transit.
- 1,100m of sidewalks were reconstructed.
- Storm sewer separation: 1,800m of new sewers were installed to separate storm and sanitary systems.
