A massive reconstruction project set to break ground on Bronson Avenue by the end of the month will now see the road closed to all traffic from Catherine to Somerset Streets, Centretown residents learned March 5.
The project is expected to take about two years to complete, meaning it could finish in the fall of 2013.
During a public meeting at McNabb Community Centre March 5, city engineer Bruce Kenny told about 80 Centretown residents to prepare for major road closures while the city replaces Bronson’s aging underground pipes and sewers.
It will also fix any roads and sidewalks that are in poor condition, although the city scrapped its plans to widen the traffic-plagued road at the end of January because it would have been too difficult to move Bronson’s hydro installations.
The city will also close the intersections of Bronson and Gladstone, as well as Bronson and Somerset, although neither will be closed at the same time. Residents will have to gain access to their homes by driving down side streets, and no on-street parking will be allowed.
When construction begins on the intersection of Bronson and Gladstone, plans call for sewer relocation, lane reductions in each direction and a ban on street-side parking in the construction zone. Similar restrictions will be placed on the intersection of Bronson and Somerset.
Residents will also have to deal with noise and bus detours, Kenny noted.
"It is a major disruption to the area,” he said. “It will be extremely challenging.”
“We will do our absolute best, there will be issues, and we will respond to those issues,” Kenny said.