North Bay's Main Street getting a facelift

Main Street in North Bay is getting its first major facelift since the 1980s and there's plenty of work to be done.

"The power supply, the water supply, the sewer, everything that needs to be upgraded will be upgraded," said North Bay Mayor Peter Chirico.

"All the sidewalks, the crosswalks, lighted crosswalks throughout the downtown. The major corners will all be redone so it's easy for travellers, easy signage to follow.”

The project was supposed to happen in 2022 but due to COVID-19 and small business recovery, the project was put on hold.

Businesses on Main Street will be affected by the construction but the hope is that it will benefit them long term.

"It does have to be done, it doesn't matter if you did it in 10 years it would still be a pain point," said Downtown North Bay and Waterfront executive director Amber Livingstone.

"Any time you interrupt a business with construction it's an interruption and a big pain point.”

Livingstone said the city is going to work with the contractor to help mitigate the impact.

“As they dig things up, they're going to have bridges so that everyone can still access the businesses that are having construction done," she said.

Chirico told CTV News he hopes the revitalization changes the negative view some people have of the area.

"Hopefully we can make it into a people place," he said.

"Hopefully we will see additional development come along with this, as we start to invest that the property owners will be investing and upgrading their properties ... Increasing tendency downtown, more rental units, those are the ultimate goals."