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
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
Box tree moths have infested Ontario and experts say more are coming. Here's what to do to protect your garden
An invasive moth species is on the rise in Canada and, if you've planted a certain shrub, it could stand to ruin your garden.
Lyon-bound Air Canada Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Montreal turns back midflight due to pressurization alert
Passengers heading from Montreal to Lyon, France on Friday were forced to return home and depart the next day after a pressurization indication was detected in flight.
VIA Rail service delayed for hours due to suspicious package investigation in Kingston, Ont.
VIA Rail service resumed in the Kingston, Ont. area late Saturday afternoon, after a suspicious package investigation halted train service for more than four hours over the Victoria Day long weekend.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
B.C. pipeline company argues its 'haulers' are not trucks, for tax purposes
A contractor working on the Coastal GasLink pipeline has been denied more than $333,000 worth of tax rebates because pieces of machinery it purchased – and claimed were not trucks – were deemed sufficiently truck-like in B.C. Supreme Court.
Usyk beats Fury by split decision, becomes undisputed heavyweight champion
Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury by split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight boxing champion in 24 years.
His SUV was stolen on Montreal's South Shore. Then he got a $156 parking ticket
A couple is frustrated after their SUV was stolen from Montreal's South Shore in March and they received a parking ticket for the same vehicle last week.
Banking mogul suing government after intelligence leaks leave him shut out of Canadian economy
Chinese Canadian banking mogul Shenglin Xian has launched a $300 million lawsuit against the federal government. It’s a means to find the source of intelligence leaks which Xian says has cost him his livelihood.