No sooner have all the fences come down on Lakeshore Road East in Downtown Oakville from Phase 1, they will be re-erected for Phase 2 starting in January 2020. Phase 2 will close Lakeshore Road East from Allan Street to Dunn Street until the 2020 Santa Claus Parade. This includes the major artery of Trafalgar Road and Lakeshore Road.
Downtown Oakville Phase 2 Road Closures
Lakeshore Road East will be closed from Dunn Street to Allan Street for Phase 2. Image Credit: © OpenStreetMap contributors - CC BY-SALakeshore Road East will be closed from Dunn Street to Allan Street for Phase 2. Image Credit: © OpenStreetMap contributors - CC BY-SA
At the Oakville Town Council meeting held on Monday December 16th, the frustration of the merchants was palpable. For many of them their sales have dropped by 30%. They implored council to have Phase 2 completed by the beginning of September, and to keep Trafalgar Road at Lakeshore open as often as possible.
After being questioned by Council, town staff clearly indicated that the possibility of a September 2020 opening was unrealistic. They believe that the additional 2 months of construction is realistic, and that the time line for Phase 1 was extremely ambitious. It explains why portions of Phase 1 remain unfinished.
Phase One Unfinished Elements
- Light standards
- Tree Plantings
- Granite walkways
- Parking Meters
- Benches and other furnishings
This work is expected to be completed by early spring.
The contractor could have suffered penalties if they didn't meet the deadline of the 2019 Santa Claus Parade. However, those penalties would only have gone into effect if they were allowed to continue working. They were asked to stop construction. The contractor did manage to re-open Lakeshore Road just hours before this year's parade.
According to town staff, the only true control the town has is to indicate the scope of the work that must be completed and the start and end dates. Ward 3 Councillor Janet Haslett-Theall received a big round of applause when she suggested that instead of providing the contractor with a finish date of the Santa Claus Parade, that they be given a finish date of September 1, 2020. Again, staff re-iterated that a September 1, 2020 finish date is unrealistic.
What finally passed was that construction could begin in January; however, the contractor would report back in February 2020 about the prospect of an earlier completion date. At that point, the contractor will have dug up Lakeshore Road from Allan Street to Dunn Street, and should be able to determine if there would be any unforeseen issues that would cause delays.
More updates about the Downtown Oakville project can be found on the Town's Website. Also here is an additional link for further information about the Downtown Oakville Streetscape Project.