Prepare for delays downtown Halifax with another huge “milestone” underway in the Cogswell District Project, according to the Project Manager, Elora Wilkinson.
Barrington Street is down to one lane in each direction for the next few days as crews work on the next phase of the project – a roundabout at Nora Bernard Street.
Wilkinson tells us, the last few months have been really “transformative” but as work continues there is going to be congestion in that part of downtown.
“What that’s allowing us to do is build the connection of the roundabout into Barrington Street.”
She adds that work will continue until Monday when the roundabout opens, however, construction will continue on Barrington and Upper Water Street.
This, Wilkinson says, will cause a bit of a “squeeze” until around mid-November when work on that step is supposed to finish.
“So, generally for the next two weeks, [traffic] will be moving through the project site, but there will be these areas of congestion as we narrow things down to make those connections to the permanent grid.”
Signs and traffic control
There are cones, signs and traffic personnel on site to help direct you on your way, but Wilkinson says to remember to give yourself extra time and use alternate routes if possible.
She adds, there are also multi-use paths available.
“So, anyone who is biking or walking through this area will notice that they’re now being rerouted through the roundabout as they make their way downtown.”
The next step
After this phase, the next big milestone is the Barrington and upper Cogswell Street intersection.
That is expected to be completed by December.
Wilkinson says it is exciting, and they appreciate everyone’s support.
“You know, a project of this scale isn’t something that we’ve done very much in Halifax. And again, just the level of transformation…it’s hard, especially for us when we are in it every day to remember what it used, but really taking the time to step back and remember the overpass that used to exist.”
“And, you know, all of these big, concrete structures…hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of soil that has to be removed through the project. That’s quite a bit of work.”
The entire project is projected to be done by the end of 2025.
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