Section of George Street to be Temporarily Reduced to One Lane

The City of Peterborough has announced that emergency repairs to the storm sewer system under George Street North in an area just north of Simcoe Street will begin on November 8, 2021.

File Photo.

Vehicle traffic will be reduced to one lane on a section of George Street between Hunter Street and Simcoe Street.

The work is expected to be completed in about four weeks.

Access for local traffic and businesses in the construction area will be maintained at all times. Vehicle and pedestrian traffic may experience delays within the construction limits.

A paid duty officer will help to direct traffic at the intersection of George Street and Simcoe Street as required. Pedestrian traffic is expected to be maintained through the work zone.

Surface restoration of the affected areas on George Street North will be completed following the underground repairs.

The emergency repairs are required to restore capacity to the storm sewer after it was recently discovered that a section of the storm sewer had partially collapsed.

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Louis Street Urban Park Project Expected to be Complete July 2022

The Louis Street Urban Park that is under construction near the intersection of Charlotte and Aylmer Streets downtown is expected to be completed in July 2022, the City of Peterborough announced on Friday.

Charlotte Street view mockup. File Photo.

This new park will create a new multi-purpose space for community gatherings, activities such as a farmers’ market and an outdoor skating rink in the winter.

Construction on the urban park and refrigerated outdoor skating rink started in early 2021.

Due to the need for some underground servicing location work, some construction will need to be done in the spring before the project can be completed.

The creation of an urban park, along with the renewal of Charlotte Street, are key strategies in the City’s Central Area Master Plan. Consultation, planning and design work on the project started in late 2016.

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Overnight Closure of the Intersection at Parkhill Road and Armour Road

The intersection at Parkhill Road and Armour Road will be temporarily closed overnight to complete surface grinding and paving announced on Monday.

Photo courtesy of the City of Peterborough.

The closure will be from 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. from Tuesday to Thursday, depending on weather.

Detour routes posted during this overnight closure are as follows:

Parkhill Road

• Eastbound traffic will detour south on George Street, east on Hunter Street, south on Rogers Street and East on Maria Street.

• Westbound traffic will detour south on Television Road, west on Lansdowne Street, north on Ashburnham and west Maria Street.

Armour Road

• Northbound traffic will detour west on Hunter Street and north on Water Street.

• Southbound traffic will detour west on Nassau Mills Road and south on George Street.

Local traffic will be permitted and access to businesses in the area remains open.

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Temporary Road Closures for Hunter Street and Monaghan Road

The City of Peterborough has announced a temporary road closure planned for sections of Hunter Street East and Monaghan Road from Monday to Friday.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Tempoprary closures are due to road resurfacing and utilities service connections work.

Hunter Street East between Armour Road and Rogers Street will be closed from Sept. 28 to Oct 1 for site servicing connections.

Detour routes will be posted. West and eastbound traffic will be directed along Rogers Street and Armour Road via Maria Street.

The sidewalk on the south side of Hunter Street East will be closed. A pedestrian detour route will be posted directing to the north sidewalk on Hunter Street.

Access will be available for local traffic only.

For more information about this closure, contact the City’s Traffic Engineering Technologist at 705-742-7777 ext. 1843 or ext. 1752.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Monaghan Road between Parkhill Road West and Woodland Street will be closed for road resurfacing, from Sept. 27 to Oct. 1.

Detour routes will be posted. The sidewalks on Monaghan Road will remain open.

Detour for westbound traffic on Parkhill looking to travel south on Monaghan Road directs traffic to turn south on Medical Drive, east on Weller Street and south onto Monaghan Road

Detour for eastbound traffic on Parkhill Road West looking to travel south on Monaghan Road directs traffic to turn south on Park Street North, west on Charlotte Street to Monaghan Road.

Detour for northbound traffic on Monaghan Road to travel east along Charlotte Street, north on Park Street North to Parkhill Road West.

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Road Closure on Armour Road September 7 to 24

A section of Armour Road between Hunter Street East and St. Lukes Avenue will be closed from September 7 to September 24.

Image courtesy of The City of Peterborough

The road will be closed for sewer replacement and spot repairs.

The sidewalk on the west side of Armour Road will remain open, while the sidewalk on the east side of Armour Road will be closed intermittently during construction.

Local access to Armour Road between Maria Street and Hunter Street East will be available. The posted detour route will direct through traffic to Rogers Street.

The contractor for this road reconstruction project is Coco Paving Inc.

For additional information, residents can contact the City’s Engineering Design and Construction Division by phone at 705-742-7777 ext. 1736 or by emailing ktrenholm@peterborough.ca.

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Peterborough Public Library DeLafosse Branch Will Remain Closed Until Further Notice

The Peterborough Public Library announced that the DelaFosse Branch will remain closed until the structural assessment is complete.

FILE PHOTO COURTESY PETERBOROUGH PUBLIC LIBRARY

Earlier this week it was announced that the Main Library would be returning to pre-COVID hours and that the DelaFosse Branch would be reopening on August 24, 2021. However, a draft report outlining a significant structural concern with the library floors' load distribution and weight-bearing has changed those plans.  

Earlier this summer, the Peterborough Public Library Board discussed the Library's 2020 Service Review results, which looked at the DelaFosse Branch. At that time, a motion was approved for an updated building condition assessment of the DelaFosse be completed.

According to an early draft of this report, the floors in the DelaFosse Branch were constructed to support a weight distribution of 60 pounds per square foot, and the weight of the collection and shelving are currently exceeding that weight restriction.

"Library staff were excited to get back in the building and welcome our members," said Jennifer Jones, Library CEO. "We have been advised that it is a health and safety risk to reopen the facility at this time. The safety of both the community and our staff is paramount, we will be looking at ways to redistribute the weight immediately, but it will not be enough to safely reopen the DelaFosse at this time."

The Library Board will review the full report once it is completed. They will then discuss the next steps and determine when the DelaFosse branch can reopen safely.

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Warsaw Road Swing Bridge Opening Delayed

Parks Canada has announced that the Warsaw Road Swing Bridge reopening has been delayed.

THE WARSAW ROAD SWING BRIDGE REPLACEMENT PROJECT IS PART OF THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA’S FEDERAL INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT PROGRAM. PHOTO BY DAVID TUAN BUI.

During commissioning of the swing bridge this week, the fit of key mechanical components on the bridge did not meet specifications. The components have been removed and are being remachined to ensure the proper fit. These components need to be properly in place on the bridge before testing and commissioning can restart to ensure safety.

If future testing and commissioning goes to plan, Parks Canada still expects the bridge will be reopened in August. If additional adjustments or modifications are required as a result of the testing the bridge reopening will be delayed until they are completed.

Immediately following the reopening of the bridge, short intermittent delays are expected for operational testing. Traffic control measures will be in place.

The bridge has been closed for a full replacement of the steel swing bridge structure, repairs to concrete abutments, and replacement of mechanical and electrical operating systems. The project has also brought the bridge up to full highway loading.

The Warsaw Road Swing Bridge replacement project is part of the Government of Canada’s Federal Infrastructure Investment program.

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New Downtown Lofts Constructed From Old YMCA Building

The old YMCA on the corner of George Street and Murray Street has finally been converted into upscale loft apartments in a private showing on Thursday.

Hans Jain, Atria president (far right) with staff members at The Black Horse Pub with the new YLofts building. Photo by David Tuan Bui

The lofts known as Y Lofts are owned and built by the Toronto-based company Atria, a development corporation. Hans Jain, Atria president along with staff hosted tours to media and community members with a luncheon at The Black Horse Pub.

Terry Guiel, Downtown Business Improvement Area executive director praised Jain for respecting and honouring the history of the city with YLofts. The building named several room models after familiar Peterborough names such as Chemong, Algonquin and Kawartha.

"They've done their research and show us that they care about this community," he said. "They're not coming in and saying, 'we're a big Toronto firm and come jump on us', they're saying, 'we want to be a part of your community.’"

YLofts occupy the old YMCA location which was first built in 1896. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Councillor Henry Clarke showed his appreciation of the new lofts as it gives easy accessibility to several downtown amenities while revitalizing the area.

"The downtown is the economic engine of the city," he said. "To see this whole section come back to life, it's wonderful."

The Y Lofts range from $1,650 to $2,550 a month. The residence features a courtyard, gym, rooftop patio and communal barbeques as some of several available amenities included in the rent.

Atria has already begun accepting new tenants to be moved in on Sept. 1.

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Temporary Parking Lot Available During Simcoe Parking Garage Rehabilitation

The City of Peterborough has provided a temporary parking lot during the closure of the Simcoe Parking Garage for rehabilitation announced Tuesday.

The Simcoe Parking Garage under construction on Simcoe Street. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The lot is at the northwest corner of Simcoe Street and Aylmer Street North for downtown residents and visitors. It opened Tuesday and will remain in use during the closure of the Simcoe Garage. Driveway access to the lot is from Aylmer Street.

The temporary parking lot will provide approximately 30 new spaces, including two accessible spaces. That adds to the 1,490 public parking spaces in parking lots, garages as well as on-street spots in the downtown area.

Beyond the public, municipally-owned parking facilities, there are privately-owned, publicly available parking lots and garages in the downtown area, such as the Peterborough Square parking garage, that provide additional parking capacity.

A pay and display parking meter has been installed in the new temporary lot and customers can also pay for their parking in this lot using the HotSpot mobile parking app. The pay and display machine is located in close proximity to the accessible spaces.

The planned parking rates for this temporary lot will be consistent with other municipal downtown parking lots, with the $1.50 hourly rate applied between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., on weekdays, to a maximum of $10.50 per day. Patrons would receive free parking in the weekday evening hours, after 6 p.m., weekends and holidays.

During the rehabilitation project, customers who normally use the Simcoe Parking Garage are encouraged to use other parking spaces that are available in surface parking lots throughout the downtown area as well as the King Street Parkade. A map of public parking lots is available at peterborough.ca/parking.

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Warsaw Road Swing Bridge Reopening Delayed Until Aug. 7

The Warsaw Road swing bridge located on Parkhill Road East is expected to open for vehicle and pedestrian traffic according to a press release by Parks Canada for Aug. 7 announced on Wednesday.

The Warsaw Road Swing Bridge replacement project is part of the Government of Canada’s Federal Infrastructure Investment program. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

All mechanical, hydraulic and electrical components are onsite however issues related to the installation of the components have delayed the bridge testing and commissioning work to next week.

If the testing and commissioning go well, the bridge’s reopening will go as scheduled. If additional adjustments or modifications are required as a result of the testing, the bridge opening will be delayed until they are completed. 

Immediately following the reopening of the bridge, short intermittent delays are expected for operational testing. Traffic control measures will be in place during that time.

The bridge has been closed for a full replacement of the steel swing bridge structure, repairs to concrete abutments and replacement of mechanical and electrical operating systems. As well, the project has brought the bridge up to full highway loading.

Notable businesses near the bridge are Alf Curtis Home Improvements and Paterson Auto Sales & Service.

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