More Work on Portage Avenue Next Week

The second phase of the road work around AbitibiBowater's biomass boiler is also expected to begin next week.

The work on Portage Avenue between Nelson Avenue and First Street will result in some changes for motorists.

The following Traffic Control Changes will be implemented on July 14 until all the roadwork is completed which is scheduled to be done by the third week in September.

Portage Avenue from Nelson Street to Church Street will be closed to the general public. No parking will be allowed on either side of this section of Portage Avenue. At all times, an access route will be maintained to ensure fire trucks will have access to and from the Fire Hall. Also the OPP officers and staff will have access along this section of Portage Avenue to gain access to and from their Parking Lot.

Concrete Barriers will be installed along Church Street on the West and East side of Portage Avenue, where two dead-ends along Church Street will be created at the Portage Avenue Intersection. Motorists travelling along Church Street will not have access onto Portage Avenue from this intersection.

Temporary wooden barriers complete with No Exit signs, and Local Traffic Only signs will be installed at the intersections of Church Street and Mowat Avenue and Church Street and Victoria Avenue to inform the general public of the traffic changes prior to reaching the Portage Avenue/Church Street intersection.

All existing parking along Church Street between Portage and Victoria and Portage and Mowat Avenue will be maintained, thus no changes to parking along these sections of Church Street.

A temporary wooden barrier complete with a No Exit sign, and Local Traffic Only sign will be installed at the intersection of Scott Street and Portage Avenue on the south side Scott Street informing the general public that parking will be allowed on both sides of this section of the street and to gain access to the Public Parking Lot behind the Post Office from July 14th to August 11th. After August 11th no parking will be allowed on either side of this section of Portage Avenue and access to the Public Parking Lot behind the Post Office will be from the laneway entrance from Victoria Avenue. Also Portage Avenue from Church Street to Scott Street will be closed to the general public on August 11th.

Portage Avenue from Scott Street to First Street will be closed to the general public. No parking will be allowed on either side of this section Portage Avenue.

The back laneway between the 200 Block of Scott Street and 200 Block of First Street will be closed off to the general public at the Portage Avenue entrance. All transport trucks and vehicles will only gain access to this laneway from the Mowat Avenue entrance. In order to ensure orderly delivery of goods and products to the businesses and properties abutting this laneway, business owners should contact their delivery companies to ensure that transport trucks back into the laneway from Mowat Avenue and to try to utilize smaller transport trucks during the construction stage for ease of movement in the laneway. It might be wise to ensure large transport trailers are off-loaded at night and not during regular business hours to ensure that the laneway is not blocked.

On August 11th, the back laneway between the 200 Block of Scott Street and 200 Block of Church Street will be closed off to the general public at the Portage Avenue entrance. Thus all transport trucks and vehicles will only gain access to this laneway from the Church Street entrance.

In the near future, the exact date is still unknown; the Traffic Control lights at the Portage Avenue & Scott Street Intersection will be shut-off for one (1) day where flagmen will be directing traffic through this intersection. This is necessary to allow the contractor to tie-in the new sanitary pipe in the existing sanitary sewer manhole in the middle of this intersection.

In the future, once the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship is over the Scott Street/ Portage Avenue Intersection will be closed for approximately seven (7) days to complete the pipe work in this intersection.

Transport trucks will be re-routed along Church Street, Veterans Avenue, Sinclair Street, Victoria Avenue and Front Street. A prior week of notice will be provided to when this work will occur. Also temporary wooden barriers complete with No Exit signs and Local Traffic Only signs will be installed at the intersections of Scott Street -Mowat Avenue and Scott Street - Victoria Avenue to inform the general public of the traffic changes prior to reaching the Portage Avenue/ Scott Street intersection.