Bank Street is whole again.
After almost six months of repair work that saw no-entry signs and fences block off large chunks of the road in the Glebe neighbourhood, the busy stop-and-shop strip was completely reopened Tuesday to traffic.
That means vehicles and OC Transpo buses no longer have to turn left or right for a side-street detour when hitting Isabella Street or Holmwood Avenue, the two roads that bookended the repair work zone.
Pedestrians didn't lose access during the closure, although stretches of sidewalk were squeezed in as the street was dug up.
During the closure, construction crews worked to replace road and sewer lines for the 1.7 km stretch. Work began May 24 and finished on time and on budget, the city said in a news release.
The street will be open to traffic through the winter, but final work on the road, sidewalk and street infrastructure is set for next spring.
Mayor Jim Watson and local Coun. David Chernushenko led the reopening festivities at just after 1 p.m., roughly one hour before buses resumed pre-closure service.
“City Council gave our staff and our contractor a tough mission: Do the work as quickly as possible to lessen the disruption for everyone. This has been accomplished,” Watson said in a statement.
A handful of business closed for good during the repair work, including the Snapdragon Gallery and Marilyn’s Clothes. However, the Glebe Business Improvement Area has said the closures were not directly linked to the construction work choking off road traffic.
The business group ran promotional events to prop up sales in the face of the detour, and Wednesday launched a new Glebe “passport” prize contest to mark the street’s reopening.