Lots of roadwork underway in Moncton area, bringing some major traffic disruptions
Construction season in the area runs from late April to the end of October
Be ready to make a few extra turns when driving through Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview during the warm months.
A busy construction season is underway in all three municipalities, with some major and several minor projects on the list.
Moncton expects to finish 41 infrastructure projects, including a roundabout, sidewalk extensions and repairs, street reconstructions, surfacing, new traffic signals and trail upgrades.
One of the biggest traffic disruptions is occurring with work related to the installation of a new storm sewer, which affects a section of Main Street from King to Château Moncton. After the sewer work, resurfacing is planned for Main Street from Mechanic to the Moncton-Dieppe border.
"We will be installing a storm sewer system that will eventually reach St. George Street in the future, but this pipe will run along Main Street and that will be causing a lot of traffic delays," said René Lagacé, the City of Moncton's director of engineering.
Work on this project began April 22 and is expected to end on Sept. 5.
The project also involves work on the Hall's Creek bridge near Château Moncton, already started by New Brunswick's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure.
"The intent is to keep two lanes of traffic open, so, one in each direction at all time," Lagacé said.
Another provincial project that can cause traffic disruptions in Moncton is a roundabout being built on Mapleton Road north of the Trans-Canada Highway, he said. Work will start in early June and run until the end of October.
Lagacé said a complete reconstruction of Westmorland Street downtown, between Main and Assomption, is also on the agenda.
"The work will remain on Westmorland, but it will have an impact, obviously, on the market and the local businesses there, so we want to be mindful of that," he said.
This construction season, several other streets across Moncton will be resurfaced and microsurfaced, which involves adding a thin protective layer over a street.
Although the season runs from late April to the end of October, Lagacé said the weather can cause delays.
The city provides incentives to contractors to get the work completed early, he added.
Because of increased costs, the city is undertaking fewer projects than it used to with the same budget, but the season is still a busy one.
Lagacé advised drivers to be patient,"be respectful for the workers and look for the signage."
Dieppe and Riverview
A major project drivers will have to navigate in Dieppe is the full reconstruction of Gauvin Road between Rue du College and Rue du Marché.
The City of Dieppe is replacing the water main, storm and sanitary sewer systems, gutters, curbs and sidewalks, keeping the area completely blocked for traffic, according to their website.
A multi-use trail will also be added on a section of Marché Street, and 30 new trees will be planted under this project.
"We are actually going greener in our downtown," said Marc-André Cormier, Dieppe's director of engineering.
Cormier said "detour works quite well in this area," and he is hoping for the project to possibly end in July, earlier than its expected end date in August.
A full reconstruction of Sainte-Therese Street from Paul to Acadie is also planned, along with other repaving and microsurfacing projects, Cormier said.
The only major traffic disrupter in Riverview this year will be the work on a section of Whitepine Road between Cleveland and Pine Glen Road, said Michel Ouellet, Riverview's director of engineering.
He said work on the 300-metre section on Whitepine will start on July 7 and is expected to end in mid-September.
Riverview has 19 projects on its agenda for the season, including water-main renewals, replacement of underground wires and LED street lights, the addition of traffic signals and street reconstruction, surfacing and asphalt work.
Ouellet said it is a busy season for Riverview, but the projects aren't as big compared with what Moncton and Dieppe are doing.
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With files from Information Morning Moncton