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Work on Lasalle-Notre Dame should be complete this year

Drivers in Greater Sudbury are holding up their end of the deal and are being patient as construction work at the busy Lasalle-Notre Dame intersection slows traffic in both directions.
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Traffic winds its way through construction Friday at the corner of Lasalle Boulevard and Notre Dame Avenue. While traffic flow is steady going up Notre Dame avenue, long delays coming down Lasalle are partially a result of drivers queueing up in the left lane, rather than using both lanes and alternating at the point when it narrows to one lane. Photo by Darren MacDonald.

Drivers in Greater Sudbury are holding up their end of the deal and are being patient as construction work at the busy Lasalle-Notre Dame intersection slows traffic in both directions.

Tony Cecutti, general manager of infrastructure services, says its up to the city to keep its end of the deal.

“We've set some expectations that I think the public is hoping we can fulfil, which is to have the project done this year,” Cecutti said this week. “So far, that looks pretty good.

“It's obvious this community understands that construction has to happen in the summer, and we appreciate their patience in that regard.”

The $9-million project began in May and is expected to take until the end of the year to complete. It includes rebuilding the road, installing new water and sewer lines and relocating hydro poles to accommodate wider turning lanes.

The lengthy construction period – at least six months – is causing significant delays for drivers who regularly traverse the Lasalle and Notre Dame intersection, the city's fourth busiest, with more than 50,000 cars a day passing through. It acts as a gateway to the Valley, New Sudbury and downtown.

“The construction seems to be on schedule,” Cecutti said. “We've had a few challenges, but we were able to recoup the time that we've lost. Just some little things – you discover things underground that you weren't expecting. But they've been really minor so far.”

Because of the extensive nature of the work, traffic flow won't improve until the work is complete, he said. But the benefits that will result when construction is complete will be worth it.

“What you're seeing now is pretty much what you're going to see until the project is finished,” he said. “I hope everybody realizes we'll be done this year, and things will get back to normal.”

While there have been few complaints, Cecutti said some drivers going down Lasalle toward Notre Dame still aren't using the so-called zipper method to maximize the number of cars that can get through the intersection.

“We've tried to help educate people that when the sign says use both lanes, that it's important to share and take turns,” Cecutti said. “It's been proven through other projects that's the fastest way to get everybody through there.”

Too often, he said, form a long line in the left lane, and seem to resent drivers who take the right lane, and then try and enter the left.

“When you're at the front of the line, you should alternate,” Cecutti said. “You should let at least one car from the other line go in ahead of you.”

The number of cars taking the route has dropped significantly, he said, making things much easier.

“Some people I've spoken to said they're taking different routes to work and staggered their hours, and that's been very beneficial,” he said. “We're pretty happy with the way things are going.”

Once complete, the new intersection will be wider and will have more turning and through lanes, increasing its capacity to handle large volumes of traffic. Traffic signals will make use of thermal cameras, which use heat from engines and tires to judge when a car has entered the intersection. They are more accurate than sensors and other cameras, which can be affected by weather conditions.


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Darren MacDonald

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