Disruptions at Lasalle-Notre Dame almost at an end

Drivers who have put up with long delays at the corner of Lasalle Boulevard and Notre Dame Avenue can take heart: most lanes should reopen within a matter of days.

The $9 million construction project at one of the busiest intersections in Greater Sudbury won't be fully completed until next summer. But Tony Cecutti, the city's general manager of infrastructure, said this week that major work for the year should be finished Nov. 8.

That's good news for residents who have to take the route every day.

“That intersection work has been a source of stress and strain for many in the community,” Cecutti said at Tuesday's city council meeting.“A lot of people travel that road to work every day.”

But his department is keeping to its promise to stay on schedule, he said, and so the most disruptive work will be finished by next week, he said.

“By Nov. 8, our plan is to have the seasonal work completed – that was the original schedule for this year.”

Ahead of that deadline, major paving work is set for Sunday, a date when traffic volumes much lower and so there will be less inconvenience for drivers.

“After Sunday, there will be some minor lane closures (as) we'll be working on the sides of the road,” Cecutti said. “As long as the weather co-operates, we'll putter away until the weather closes us in.”

The goal is to get streetlights working and do as much of the curb work as they can before winter sets in.

“If we can pour some of the curbs around the signal lights, we will. If not, we'll put jersey barriers in place,” he said.

City crews will be gone completely by Nov. 15, and will return in spring to finish the job.

“How long will it take next year?” asked Ward 5 Coun. Ron Dupuis. “Should we expect what we have now, with the major shutdown of lanes?”

“The disruption should not be nearly so disruptive, if I can use that term, next year,” Cecutti replied. “(And) somewhere around July, we should be finished.”

Work began in May on the project, which includes rebuilding the road, installing new water and sewer lines and relocating hydro poles to accommodate wider turning lanes. 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.

The new 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.

Lasalle and Notre Dame is the city's fourth busiest intersection, with more than 50,000 cars a day passing through the area. It acts as a route for many to the Valley, New Sudbury and downtown. Detailed maps of the work being done can be found at Links to the maps can be found at www.greatersudbury.ca/living/roads/lasalle-notre-dame-improvements/traffic-patterns/