Construction season returns with major road work planned in east end of Paris

Paris Independent Staff

As warmer weather returns, so too does construction season, with a major multi-year road reconstruction project set to resume later this month in the east end of Paris.

The County of Brant has announced that reconstruction work on Dundas Street East, Paris Road and Oak Park Road is expected to begin in late March. The project will replace aging underground infrastructure while improving road safety, traffic flow and pedestrian access in an area expected to see continued employment growth.

According to the county, the multi-year project will replace sanitary and storm sewers and watermain infrastructure, extend services and upgrade road surfaces, curbs and sidewalks. The improvements are intended to support both existing businesses and future development in the area.

The work follows earlier construction in the corridor last year, when a portion of Dundas Street East was closed for roughly six months as the project got underway. After the summer, the intersection at Dundas Street and Paris Road also faced partial closures to traffic, including a period when access via Green Lane was not permitted. The intersection reopened to traffic in November.

That work will pick back up where it left off last year, with Stage 1 construction, anticipated between March 23 and March 30, focusing on the continued work at the intersection of Dundas Street East and Paris Road. Crews will complete the installation of sanitary and storm sewers and a new watermain within the intersection and extending to the south and east.

Several traffic changes will be in place during this stage. Eastbound traffic on Dundas Street East will be reduced to a single lane and detoured onto Paris Road. Drivers will not be able to travel straight through the intersection onto Governors Road East or make left turns onto Green Lane.

Westbound traffic on Dundas Street East will remain open, while westbound traffic on Governors Road East will be reduced to one lane with no left turns permitted onto Paris Road. Southbound traffic on Green Lane will only be able to turn right onto Dundas Street East, and Paris Road will be restricted to southbound traffic only.

Stage 2, scheduled from March 30 through late summer, will expand construction to Dundas Street East, Paris Road and Oak Park Road.

During this phase, crews will complete tunneling for a watermain beneath the CN rail bridge and install watermain services along Dundas Street East between Curtis Avenue South and Paris Road. Hydro poles will be relocated at the Dundas Street and Paris Road intersection, and work will continue on road restoration, curbing and sidewalks along the south side of Dundas Street East.

Additional work will include installing sanitary and storm sewers and watermain infrastructure along Paris Road, as well as a sanitary forcemain connecting Paris Road to Oak Park Road and extending to the railway tracks.

Traffic will again be reduced to single lanes in each direction on Dundas Street East, and eastbound vehicles will not be able to turn left onto Consolidated Drive. Westbound traffic on Governors Road East will also be limited to one lane, with no left turns onto Paris Road. Paris Road will remain restricted to southbound traffic only.

Stage 3, scheduled from late summer to late fall, will focus on reconstruction along the north side of Dundas Street and sections of Governors Road. Additional traffic impacts are expected during this phase and will be communicated before work begins.

Throughout the project, pedestrian access and access to local businesses will be maintained. Detours will be posted as required. 

The construction will affect travel through the east end of Paris and may require motorists to plan alternate routes when travelling to and from the area.

Residents can follow the latest project updates through the County of Brant’s Engage Brant page at engagebrant.ca/dundaseast or through road closure updates on municipal511.ca.