Construction plans for Hamilton

Monday night we showed you the traffic nightmares in Toronto — as large sections of the Gardiner Expressway will be closed for the next two years. But no matter where you go in the GTA, it can be tough to get around — and Hamilton is no exception.

It’s going to be a challenging summer. Hamilton will have 13 different projects on the go, including five major rebuilds, — including a two-year project of our own, along a key, north-south artery:

Now that winter is gone, we’re officially in Canada’s other season. And — as you move around the City of Hamilton this summer, or at least try to, you’re going to find some challenges. Starting on West 5th — between the Linc, and the escarpment, where new water lines are already waiting.

Jerry Parisotto is Hamilton’s city construction manager: “Hopefully we’ll still keep the roads open on them, we’ll reduce traffic lanes, but they’ll still be able to manage through it. But it’s all above the escarpment. So, once you get through the construction zone, the access is clear.”

So after dealing with the Queen Street hill last year, it looks like it will be a slow summer on the West 5th access for those using James Mountain Road. There’s going to be some delay on Mohawk Road between Upper Wellington and Upper Wentworth as well Jerry says: “This is a pretty straight forward project. It’s just a small diameter water main — and the road. The road’s in horrible shape.”

Another relatively short stretch of Barton street, between Nash and Centennial is already well under way: “New curbs, new sidewalks, new roads.”

But further to the West — between Barton and Burlington streets — is a project that’s relatively unique.

What’s interesting about this project is something called micro-boring — which has nothing to do with being small, and dull.

Jerry says: “It’s actually a tunnelling machine where you dig a shaft — put the machine down it, and it basically augers its way through the ground, drawing the pipe behind it.”

All of these projects should be finished this year — but the biggest project of them all will begin this summer, and conclude at the end of 2015.

It’s also the project that’s likely to cause the biggest traffic headache, as it’s going through one of the busiest intersections in the city: King and Centennial.

Jerry says: It’s to back up the City’s water system. To complete loops. That’s why it’s a big main. It’s a 1,500 diameter water trunk main.”

And the price is big, too: “It’s roughly $50-million worth of work. It’ll take us through this year, and probably the rest of next year.”

And the King St./Centennial Parkway intersection will be one of the last pieces of the project.

The King Street intersection is so busy, that the city will try to avoid shutting it down completely, at least on week-days. The plan at the moment is to close it off completely, on five consecutive weekends next year, to complete the water main work.