The gates are still up and intersections blocked off in downtown Barrie for a construction project that was expected to be done at the end of November.
At the beginning of last month, the city issued a statement saying the large-scale streetscape reconstruction would be nearing its end and all roads would be open before December.
Motorists will notice that the Five Points intersection, as well as the Dunlop and Toronto street intersection, are still gated off.
While construction wraps up tomorrow (Dec. 4), it is looking more like a week before vehicles can drive over the new work.
Julia Vanderkuylen, the city’s engineering project manager, told BarrieToday the delay was related to a safety concerns, which led to keeping two intersections closed longer than expected.
“Construction will be complete by tomorrow, but there was an unforeseen delay in the utility connection. For safety reasons, we cannot open the Five Points intersection and the Toronto Street intersection until the power is connected and the traffic signals are activated,” Vanderkuylen said.
“We expect this to happen sometime next week, and then the Dunlop streetscape project will be complete," she added.
Vanderkuylen added there would be some final clean-up of the remaining work that will take place in the spring of 2021, but said it should “not cause any major disruptions or require any full road closures.”
The $15.7-million reconstruction project began in August 2019 and has seen work in different sections during various phases, hindering both pedestrian and vehicular traffic at times during the past several months.
The multi-million-dollar Dunlop Street project replaced aging infrastructure in the downtown. Above ground, the work has included wider sidewalks, while providing downtown businesses with more attractive and accessible storefronts. New streetlights, planters and trees make for a new look and a greener downtown appearance.
Those who are affected by garbage collection on Dunlop Street should note that Waste Connections resumed collection on most of Dunlop Street and they collect at approximately 5:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Regular collection has not resumed in the Mary to High streets section yet and is still being collected by Arnott Construction.
