Progress meets patience: Paris drivers face more detour challenges

A road closure sign for the Dundas St / Paris Rd project. The closure is part of ongoing construction projects causing traffic detours and delays throughout the town.

Casandra Turnbull

Managing Editor

Getting around Paris these days feels a bit like solving a puzzle with missing pieces. With detours crisscrossing town, drivers are resorting to creative—and often frustrating—routes to navigate their daily commutes. One increasingly popular workaround to bypass the bottleneck between Dundas and William via Willow Street is the scenic detour through Green Lane. But that option is now off the table too, adding to the mounting frustration.

Last week, the County announced yet another road closure—this time the busy Dundas Street intersection—triggering fresh waves of exasperation from residents. The closure is expected to last approximately one week, although confirmation from contractors was still pending at press time. Temporary traffic lights are being installed to help manage the flow, with Paris Road remaining open, but Green Lane will be closed for 2–4 weeks, forcing southbound traffic onto Iarocci Boulevard and Consolidated Drive.

According to the County, the closures are essential to complete infrastructure upgrades tied to the ongoing water and sewer work along Dundas. The message from the County is clear: delaying this work would create greater confusion, frustration, and safety issues. That may be true—but the frustration is already here.

To be clear, this editorial is not about opposing construction. Infrastructure needs to be maintained and modernized. And yes, we all benefit from a bit more patience during these periods of disruption. But the real issue lies in timing and coordination. Residents are asking—rightfully so—why such a large-scale, multi-phase project like the Downtown Dig wasn’t more strategically sequenced with other infrastructure work.

The Downtown Dig project has been in the pipeline for well over a decade, with years of preparation and consultation. Yet, it appears that certain timelines weren’t aligned to minimize the cumulative impact. For example, work on West River Street, which began as a standalone project, was eventually phased into the start of the Downtown Dig. Meanwhile, the decision to begin infrastructure upgrades along Dundas Street—another major corridor—during this same timeframe has only compounded the problem. And the intersection at William and Grand River Street North hasn’t closed yet!

Motorists have been encouraged to bypass town using the west bypass route, but those efforts have been hampered too. The lack of planning to install functioning traffic signals at Brant Oxford Road and Keg Lane, or Bishopsgate Road and Powerline, means the detour is neither smooth nor efficient. The three-way stop at Keg Lane/Brant Oxford Road is a necessary safety measure, but lights would be far more efficient. 

And the stakes go beyond driver inconvenience. Emergency response vehicles have found themselves stuck in traffic, unable to reach destinations quickly. We’ve seen it happen—and we risk seeing it again.

We don’t doubt the County’s intention to improve infrastructure or their commitment to long-term benefits for residents and businesses alike. But it’s not unreasonable to ask whether these projects could have been staggered more thoughtfully. No one expects perfection when it comes to municipal planning—but the goal should be progress without paralysis.

Let’s use this moment as a learning opportunity. As our community grows, so too must our ability to coordinate large-scale projects without overlapping critical routes. Paris deserves progress—but we also deserve a smoother ride getting there.

Buster Beaverton holds a detailed map of Paris detours during construction