The City is preparing to complete some finishing touches on the new CN railway bridge arching over Wyndham Street in downtown Guelph.
The work will require a one-day traffic interruption on Sunday, May 6 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. when Guelph Police will control traffic on Wyndham Street between Carden and Farquhar Streets. Emergency and Guelph Transit vehicles will be permitted to travel through the work zone.
Earlier this week the City opened this section of Wyndham Street after more than two years of construction. The road now includes new sidewalks and bike lanes on both sides, new lighting and landscaping, and a completely renewed railway bridge arching over the street. Minor landscaping and utility work will continue over the next few weeks.
This year, construction in the area continues as the City works with its partners to bring local, regional and national transportation together in downtown Guelph. The City is hoping to start renovations inside Guelph’s VIA Rail station in summer 2012 pending approval from the federal government.
With those renovations complete VIA Rail, Greyhound, GO Transit and Guelph Transit will operate out of Guelph Central Station on Carden Street.
Guelph Transit service is scheduled to move into Guelph Central Station on Sunday, May 13.
About the Wyndham Street construction project
The City hoped to replace the CN rail bridge, renew the road and re-open the street by the March 31, 2011.
Wyndham Street was closed to traffic between Carden and Wellington Streets when the City began replacing watermains and sewers and other underground utilities in fall 2009. The road was open from winter 2009 to spring 2010 when the City began replacing the 100 year-old CN railway bridge.
In 2010 the City found it difficult to obtain the necessary approvals to continue construction according to the original schedule. The City faced a number of challenges that delayed construction:
• Obtaining construction approvals from CN Rail, Metrolinx, Rail America, VIA Rail took at least six months longer than expected.
• At times, construction activity along Carden Street – Guelph Central Station and Market Square – created scheduling conflicts between these projects.
• Creating a rail diversion to maintain VIA and GO train traffic made the project very complex.
• Arrival of GO train service and Metrolinx’s plans to continue work in the area (completing railway track and platform, building a pedestrian tunnel and passenger drop off area) impacted the City’s original construction schedules and plans.
The federal, provincial and municipal government shared equally in the $ 8,400,000 cost of replacing the CN Rail bridge and completely renew Wyndham Street.