The intersection of Queensway and Patricia Boulevard is scheduled to reopen on Thursday, December 6. This week, crews have been working to repave and install lighting and electrical work at the intersection, which has been closed to traffic since November 7 to allow for the installation of a sanitary sewer line along Patricia.
The east shoulder of Queensway has been temporarily paved to serve as a walkway connecting two sections of sidewalk. This walkway will be replaced with curb and sidewalk in 2019. Two other walkways – one connecting Patricia to Queensway and another running along the base of Connaught Hill – will be open, but will not be paved until the spring.
There will continue to be minor traffic interruptions on Patricia for the next few weeks while work continues at the site. Work on the new sewer main, which extends along Lower Patricia to London Street, is now complete except for operations to tie the new line into the existing downtown sewer main. This work will require further excavation on Seventh Avenue near City Hall and will be done when weather permits this spring.
Without the upgrade, the existing sanitary sewer system serving the downtown and the industrial area to the east of Queensway is at capacity. The new system is required for any significant housing or commercial expansion downtown. The sewer upgrade is also a part of a larger project to upgrade aging infrastructure in the vicinity of City Hall that is at capacity, in poor condition, or at high risk of failure.