By Cecilia Nasmith
Ministry of Transportation planning-and-design-section project manager Chris Belanger told Northumberland County Council at its May meeting that the next stage in upgrades to Brighton's Highway 401 interchange will begin next spring.
Belanger was accompanied by MOT area manager Melissa Buelow in providing the update on the project that dates back to a 2006 study of the site.
“This work that is coming through is the second set in a series of works that will be done at this location,” he said.
Work in the second phase includes a new offramp on the eastbound lanes and a new alignment for the eastbound onramp. And during work on County Road 30, he added, they will be able to maintain one lane each of northbound and southbound traffic for the majority of the project.
However, a five-day closure of the eastbound onramp will be necessary.
When exact dates are known, notifications will go out to the municipality, residents and emergency services - a two-week notice for the start of construction and a three-week notice in advance of the onramp closure.
Meanwhile, they are busy getting permits and approvals, such as authorization from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in regards to at-risk species in Proctor Creek in consideration of mitigation measures they are planning.
Workdays are expected to run from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, with no work planned Sundays or holidays.
Following council endorsement of the project, Belanger said he anticipates being able to tender the project in the fall, with work beginning in the spring of 2020 and stretching into the fall and possibly the winter.
Brighton Mayor Brian Ostrander asked if Belanger was aware of any impact on the project by changes in the recent provincial budget. Belanger was unaware of any.
“Brighton certainly looks forward to these improvements,” Ostrander said.
