Drivers going through Crosshill will be making a detour for the next few weeks while Region of Waterloo construction crews rip up the road.
The construction project at William Hastings Line and Hutchison Road just started last week, but Peter Linn, senior project manager for the region, says it has been in the works for a few years now.
“We went through the preliminary design process and the project was approved in 2012,” he said. “When the region prepares its construction program, we have an assessment of the condition of all of the roads in the region. Different roads deteriorate at different rates. We have to keep track of that on a yearly basis and the roads are given different priorities for construction, so this road has worked its way to the top of the heap.”
The $2-million project was originally slated to last until the end of August, but Linn says contractors are optimistic about a shorter timeline.
“It is a 60 workday contract and they started last week, but the contractor has indicated that he wants to accelerate his construction program, so we are expecting that he will be done by the end of July,” he said.
Ripping up the road was something that was going to happen regardless, and Linn says they decided to add a few extra features to the intersection to keep up with the region’s standards for rural roads.
“Basically, the purpose of the project is to rebuild the existing road,” he said. “When it is finished, it will still be a two-lane road, but it will be widened to accommodate horse-drawn vehicles, which is our normal standard for rural areas, and there will be sidewalks put on both sides of William Hastings Line, and on the west side of Hutchison.”
The current detour route sends drivers in a circle around the affected intersection. Signs tell drivers to go along Hackbart Road, Boomer Line, Manser Road and Streicher Line to avoid the closed streets.
