City Centre Area Redevelopment Plan

June 15 update: Due to weather impacts, the intersection is now expected to open closer to the end of the week (on or around June 17). Thank you for your understanding!

The intersection at McLeod Avenue and Main Street is expected to partially reopen during the week of June 13 and new road closures will start being set up as part of the first phase of the streetscape construction. These closures will be in place for the remainder of the construction season and will have the following impacts:

• There will be one-way traffic (eastbound) on McLeod Avenue with parallel parking. The westbound lane on McLeod Avenue between King Street and Queen Street will be closed.
• There will be one-way traffic (northbound) on Main Street with angled parking.
• There will be pedestrian access to all businesses.

The streetscape revitalization project is part of the overall City Centre Area Redevelopment Plan, which is focused on revitalizing the area and making the City Centre a place where people of all ages come to shop, dine, work, live, socialize, interact and participate in a variety of community, arts and cultural experiences.

Businesses in the City Centre will remain open during the construction and the community is encouraged to continue supporting them throughout this temporary disruption in the area.

June 10 update: Please refer to this news item for updated information.

The intersection at McLeod Avenue and Main Street is expected to partially reopen on June 14, following extensive underground work at the intersection, which has been closed since mid-May for necessary underground work in the area as part of the City Centre streetscape revitalization project.

Once the intersection is able to partially reopen, new road closures will start being set up as part of the first phase of the streetscape construction. These closures will be in place for the remainder of the construction season and will have the following impacts:

• There will be one-way traffic (eastbound) on McLeod Avenue with parallel parking. The westbound lane on McLeod Avenue between King Street and Queen Street will be closed.
• There will be one-way traffic (northbound) on Main Street with angled parking.
• There will be pedestrian access to all businesses.
  
  

Construction work as part of this phase will involve:

• McLeod Avenue sewer relocation and service upgrades
• Main Street watermain replacement and service upgrades
• Utility relocations
• Storm sewer replacement
• Surface work on the north side of McLeod Avenue and west side of Main Street
• Centre median construction along McLeod Avenue
• Alley reconstruction
  
  

The streetscape revitalization project is part of the overall City Centre Area Redevelopment Plan, which is focused on revitalizing the area and making the City Centre a place where people of all ages come to shop, dine, work, live, socialize, interact and participate in a variety of community, arts and cultural experiences.

Businesses in the City Centre will remain open during the construction and the community is encouraged to continue supporting them throughout this temporary disruption in the area.

As a reminder, work also continues on the redevelopment of Columbus Park.

Installation of a new sanitary manhole.

Redevelopment work has recently resumed at Columbus Park, including a temporary lane closure on the east side of the park.

Over the coming weeks, the closed lane will be demolished and replaced with a decorative concrete surface that will tie in with the overall redevelopment of Columbus Park.

There will also be steel, soffit, and electrical work occurring at the park, as well as metal siding installation and painting on the stage structure.

As a reminder, work has also started on the City Centre streetscape revitalization project, which requires the temporary closure of the intersection of Main Street and McLeod Avenue.

The stage structure will be getting metal siding in the coming weeks.

With work beginning on the City Centre streetscape revitalization project, the intersection of McLeod Avenue and Main Street will be closed for approximately four weeks starting May 16.

This temporary closure is required for necessary underground work at the intersection. Drivers and pedestrians are asked to watch for signs and detours in the immediate area.

The streetscape revitalization project is part of the overall City Centre Area Redevelopment Plan, which is focused on revitalizing the area and making the City Centre a place where people of all ages come to shop, dine, work, live, socialize, interact and participate in a variety of community, arts and cultural experiences.

Starting next week on May 9, work is scheduled to begin on the streetscape revitalization project for McLeod Avenue and Main Street as part of the City Centre Area Redevelopment Plan (CCARP).

This project will kick start the redevelopment of the City Centre by enhancing the area as one of the City’s main commercial and social destinations. It will create a safer, pedestrian focused environment by improving sidewalks and street crossings, adding street trees, landscaping, seating, and places to gather.

This includes the rehabilitation of the underground infrastructure to service businesses and residents and create the opportunity for new development. There will also be the integration of Columbus Park to enable the entire area to be used for a variety of festivals and events.

This project is one element of CCARP, which is focused on revitalizing the area and making the City Centre a place where people of all ages come to shop, dine, work, live, socialize, interact and participate in a variety of community, arts and cultural experiences.

“When City Council approved the CCARP, it was about creating a vision for this part of our community that would transform it into a dynamic and vibrant mixed use space,” said Mayor Jeff Acker. “It’s extremely exciting to see work begin on this part of the plan, which will not only significantly update the look of the streetscape, but also incorporate new features and functionality that will better serve our city.”

Streetscape Revitalization Rendering

The streetscape redevelopment will be a two-year project, starting in May 2022 with completion in the fall of 2023. The first phase of work in 2022/2023 will focus on the area of McLeod Avenue (from King Street to Queen Street) and Main Street (from First Avenue to Church Road).

As this is a significant construction project, it will result in temporary road closures and other disruption in the City Centre area; traffic flow will be limited to one-way for the majority of the 2022 and 2023 construction seasons.

Initial construction in May will focus on underground work at the McLeod Avenue and Main Street intersection and continue for approximately four weeks. This work will involve the full closure of the intersection, resulting in some traffic disruptions, so watch for signs and detours.

Following the May long weekend, there will be more underground work starting that will require partial road closures, resulting in one-way traffic. Accommodations will be made to allow for the safe movement of foot traffic in the area.

Benches and waste containers on both McLeod Avenue and Main Street will also be removed to facilitate this construction work. These items will be reused elsewhere in the city.

Bird's Eye View of Streetscape Revitalization

Businesses in the City Centre will remain open during the construction and the community is encouraged to continue supporting them throughout this temporary disruption in the area.

“We certainly recognize this work will have an impact on City Centre businesses, as well as patrons and residents to the area, and I’d like to thank everyone for their cooperation as we undertake this revitalization project,” said Mayor Acker. “Let’s continue to shop local and show them our support both now and throughout this construction project.”

Community members can subscribe for regular project updates on this website.

The lane on the east side of Columbus Park will be temporarily closed from approximately mid-May to the end of June.

During this closure, the existing lane will be removed and replaced with a decorative concrete surface that will tie in with the overall redevelopment of Columbus Park.

This will impact some parking in the area and we thank everyone for their patience and cooperation during this work.

Learn about the upcoming streetscape redevelopment project for McLeod Avenue and Main Street in the City Centre!

This project will enhance the area as one of the City’s main commercial and social destinations and help create a more pedestrian focused environment by improving sidewalks and street crossings, adding street trees, landscaping, and places to gather. The project also includes rehabilitation of the underground infrastructure to service businesses and residents and create the opportunity for new development.

Drop in and learn more about the project, including timelines and construction information.

• Wednesday, May 4, 2022
• 5 to 8 p.m.
• Pioneer Centre, 301 Jespersen Avenue

Please note that while Jespersen Avenue is temporarily closed due to construction, there is access to the Pioneer Centre parking lot on the north side of City Hall. Please watch for signs.

McLeod Avenue between Main Street and the east end of Columbus Park will be closed to eastbound traffic on Wednesday, April 20, from approximately 7 to 10 a.m. The sidewalk along this section of road will also be closed during this time.

This temporary closure is required to complete the light pole installation at Columbus Park as part of the redevelopment work at the park.

Signage will be posted and workers will be on site to help manage traffic flow. Drivers and pedestrians are asked to watch for workers and equipment in the area.

Starting this month, Fortis/Shaw’s contractor TC Infrastructure Services will be completing the overhead to underground relocations within the alleyways east and west of Main Street and along McLeod Avenue.

Local traffic may be impacted for short durations and may need to redirect to an alternate route. Appropriate signage will be placed prior to work commencing.

The timelines for the work are as follows:

Phase 1: Alley east of Main Street – estimated timeline is April 19 to May 3.

Phase 2: Alley west of Main Street – estimated timeline is May 4 to 18.

Phase 3: McLeod Avenue underground between the two alley ways – estimated timeline is May 19 to June 2.

Throughout construction, any holes or drill pits that are required will be covered with steel plates when work isn’t underway to allow traffic to continue.

Starting the first week of February (weather permitting), ATCO will be upgrading the natural gas service in part of the City Centre area.

Work is expected to take four weeks. Properties that are impacted by this work will receive a notice from ATCO in advance.

During this time, there will be minor disruptions to parking, traffic, and access. The work will be broken down as follows:

Phase 1: Install new gas line at the alley west of Main Street. This will have minor impacts to the on-street parking, but will require residents/businesses to access the alleys from Queen Street, Church Road or First Avenue while construction is underway.

Phase 2: Abandonment of the gas main along McLeod Avenue. This work is concentrated at the alley west of Main Street as well as the intersection of King Street and McLeod Avenue. While the work is ongoing at the intersection, the northbound traffic on King Street will be reduced to one through/right lane and the eastbound traffic along McLeod Avenue will be reduced to just left or right turns. There are no expected impacts to parking or southbound traffic along King Street and westbound traffic along McLeod Avenue.

Phase 3: Disconnect the gas line at the alley east of Main Street. This work will have minor impacts to on-street parking and alley access. Residents and businesses may need to access these alleys off King Street, First Avenue, or Church Road while construction activities are underway.

Throughout construction, any holes or drill pits that are required will be covered with steel plates when work isn’t underway to allow traffic to continue.