Bronte is bracing for construction chaos.
Five major developments, along with several public works projects, will create lane restrictions, reroute traffic and cyclists, and close sidewalks and parking in the coming months.
About 200 residents crammed into Bronte’s Walton United Church on Thursday, April 4 for a community meeting to discuss the coming construction projects.
Town councillors Sean O’Meara and Jonathan McNiece acknowledged the frustration and anxiety of those living in the area, as construction fences, orange cones and detour signs are erected.
But developers building new condos and retirement homes work to their own timelines that are beyond the town’s control, said O’Meara.
“We’d love this to be done in a different way. We’d love it to be done a little chunk at a time. But we will get through it together,” he told the crowd.
For residents – as well as anyone coming to boat, shop or work in Bronte Village – the biggest impact will likely be felt at the community’s main intersection.
On the southeast corner of Bronte and Lakeshore Roads, the two-storey Harbourview Plaza is nearly ready for demolition.
A six-storey mixed-use building with 188 new residential units will eventually rise on the site. But for at least the remainder of 2024, the project promises to jam up the key intersection.
The first block of Bronte south of Lakeshore is already closed to northbound traffic. Once demolition begins, flagmen will stop traffic to allow construction vehicles to enter or exit the property.
Traffic disruptions of 15 minutes to one hour may occur regularly, said Phoebe Fu, Oakville’s commissioner of community infrastructure.
Longer delays would require the company to get permission for a temporary road closure, but Fu added that the town won’t be actively monitoring the intersection.
That wasn’t a satisfactory answer for one resident - he argued that the town should have a formal monitoring plan in place to ensure traffic remains moving.
“You’ve got fire and ambulance that have to go through that critical intersection,” he said, to applause from the crowd. “A 15-minute shutdown is a life.”
A block east of that intersection, one lane of Lakeshore Road is currently shifted to accommodate construction of a new six-storey Amica retirement home not due for completion until 2027.
Residents also expressed concerns about construction dust and mud, as well as parking for construction workers.
Town councillors and staff sought to reassure the crowd that they’ve considered the likely problems and are working to mitigate them.
“It will be hectic here, but we are doing our best to manage it,” said town councillor Jonathan McNeice.
The town will add its own congestion to the construction mix this spring.
It will soon close the parking lot at the popular Bronte Heritage Waterfront Park for eight weeks for repaving. Through April and May, crews will also be working on the boardwalk along Bronte Street.
Full details of all of Bronte’s construction projects can be found on a dedicated page on the town’s website, Fu told residents.
Construction management plans – which outline how issues like traffic, detours, signage, noise and parking will be dealt with – are in place for most of the private developments, she added.