Sault’s Queen Street to undergo reconstruction
Phase 1 of the reconstruction of Queen Street in downtown Sault Ste. Marie is getting underway, although it will be scaled down from the original plan.
With construction bids coming in above the $6 million budget, City staff opted to focus efforts on a section of Queen Street in most need of work.
Queen Street from Elgin to Brock Street will make up the first part of the project, and depending on the success of a Northern Ontario Heritage Fund application, the boundary could extend to East Street.
“We’re looking at doing primarily a resurfacing job, however, we will doing underground from Elgin to March, which means we’ll be replacing the sewers,” said design engineer Maggie McAuley.
“Everything will be replaced -- asphalt, curbs, paving stones, concrete sidewalk.”
McAuley said there is a landscaping component as well.
“Reintroducing the trees that have been reduced over time along Queen Street, we’re going to be planting some new ones, including some planters,” she said.
“We’re going to be adding benches and bike racks to compliment the bike lane that we’re going to be introducing.”
Rory Ring, president and CEO of the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce, said projects such as the Queen Street reconstruction make cities more attractive to investors.
- Download the CTV News app now
- Get local breaking news alerts
- Daily newsletter with the top local stories emailed to your inbox
“Let’s face it, we are competing with every other community across the globe to attract those kind of investments,” said Ring.
“The better we can position ourselves to do that through infrastructure enhancements, but also through visual appeal, can only be beneficial. And then that attracts people and people attract business.”
During construction, Ring said the city will need to stay in contact with businesses on Queen Street to ensure minimal disruption.
To that end, the city will be hosting an open house for business owners and residents in the area.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus survives vote calling for his ouster
Greg Fergus survived a vote to oust him as House of Commons Speaker on Tuesday, but with close to half of MPs expressing a loss of confidence in him, he faces a precarious path forward in maintaining order in Parliament.
'It was hell': Israeli mother held hostage with her children describes 51 days in captivity
Hagar Brodutch, her three children and four-year-old neighbour were kidnapped by Hamas-led militants from their home in Kfar Aza, Israel on Oct. 7 and held for 51 days. They were released in November, but Brodutch says her thoughts are never far from those still being held in Gaza.
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
BREAKING Teen dies after being hit by train in N.W. Calgary
A teenager has died after being hit by a train in northwest Calgary on Tuesday afternoon.
Black bear kebabs make family sick with parasitic worms
It was supposed to be a celebration, but one family’s unique meal of black bear meat sent several members to the hospital instead.
'It's his vacation too': Jimmy the baby goat joins 2-week road trip across Canada
After Jimmy the baby goat was shunned by his mother, a New Brunswick man took the kid on a two-week road trip across Canada.
The double-level airplane seat is back. This time, there’s a first-class version
It’s the airplane seat design that launched a thousand memes and kickstarted a media storm. And now the double-level seat is back – only this time, with a twist.
New COVID-19 subvariants become the dominant strains in Canada
More than four years after COVID-19 effectively shut down the world, two new variants of COVID-19 have become the dominant strains of the novel coronavirus in Canada.