One of the busiest streets in Ottawa is set to close in January for an entire year.
Elgin St. will be closed to all vehicular traffic from Gloucester St. to Isabella St. in January of 2019. Waveryly St. from Elgin to Metcalfe will also be revitalized.
The Elgin Street Renewal Project is part of the city's plan to replace aging underground infrastructure.
The City of Ottawa says some of the water mains date back to 1874 and are at the end of their service life. And while underground will see big changes, above ground too will receive an upgrade. Changes widening sidewalks, utility reconstruction, LED lighting, additional green space and flexible street space that can be used either for parking or outdoor patio use.
"While we are closing Elgin to vehicular traffic to expedite construction, Elgin will always be open," said Alain Gonthier, the Director of Infrastructure Services for the City of Ottawa.
"Elgin is open for business and will always be open to pedestrians."
Some business owners in the area were initially concerned but have since come around to the idea.
"The first thing you hear, construction, you get on the defense, you're going to cripple us," said Dino Iafelice, the owner of Johnny Farina.
"We're all in this together and it's a positive thing for all of us."
Gonthier says the key was communication, holding information sessions and meetings with the public leading up to the project.
"The whole foundation of the project is around communication," said Gonthier.
"The city is not working against those communities; we need to work as a partnership."
Business owners and residents were initially upset the project did not include burying the hydro wires, as it was not in the city's initial budget. However, the city has since changed that, and will be burying the wires.
The city is also offering free parking at city hall on weeknights and weekends to compensate for the lack of parking on Elgin.
"It's a concession but also part of that dialogue with the community on how we try to mitigate some of the impacts," said Gonthier.
The closure will begin in January of 2019 but there has yet to be an exact date set to begin, and is expected to reopen by the end of the year.
