Commuters should expect significant traffic delays in Hamilton as lane closures are set to begin Tuesday on the Red Hill Valley Parkway (RHVP).
The City of Hamilton says there will be rolling lane closures in the left lane of the northbound RHVP to allow crews to collect samples and conduct testing on the current asphalt before it is resurfaced with “high quality asphalt.”
Resurfacing on the roadway was expedited after a buried 2013 report about slippery conditions on the RHVP was uncovered. The report disclosed the results from a special road friction test which found friction levels along the busy parkway were below U.K. standards. City officials said staff only became aware of the report in late 2018.
Back in March, councillors voted to move forward with a judicial investigation into the shocking report.
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The city announced Monday third-party contractors will be conducting testing on the RHVP before repaving is to begin Tuesday night. Testing will take roughly two hours each at five different locations.
“The data compiled may inform ongoing litigation matters,” said city officials in a news release. “The Commissioner overseeing the judicial inquiry into the Red Hill Valley Parkway matter has indicated its support of the testing as it may assist the work of the judicial inquiry.”
Rolling lane closures today on the Red Hill Valley Parkway North in the left hand lane as crews collect asphalt samples and test the roadway. These are short area closures, not the whole lane. Full closure of RHVP Northbound lanes beginning tonight at 9pm for 3 weeks @CHCHNews pic.twitter.com/8dilRBINiU
— Matt Ingram (@MattIngramNEWS) May 21, 2019
The city will be shutting down all northbound (downbound) lanes beginning at 9 p.m. Tuesday for resurfacing. All lanes will be closed between the Lincoln M. Alexander Parkway (Linc) at Mud St./Stone Church Rd. and the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) for three weeks.
Construction on the southbound lanes is slated to begin in mid-June but an exact start date has not been released. It will last roughly three weeks. The city says those lane closures will be announced five to seven days before it begins.
The city says roughly 35,000 cars will be re-routed onto the emergency detour route or other streets in Hamilton. They say staff will be monitoring traffic on city streets during the closures and will make changes to signal timing to avoid serious gridlock.
The closures are anticipated to cause delays with the HSR. Riders are advised to check the HSR website for information about detours and impacts.
Starting TONIGHT at 9pm: All NORTHBOUND lanes on the Red Hill Valley Parkway will be closed for road resurfacing and installation of safety enhancements for approx. 3 weeks. Project information and detours: //t.co/2RqEpR1NFD #HamOnt #RHVP pic.twitter.com/zM5HrBECrL
— City of Hamilton (@cityofhamilton) May 21, 2019
