Infrastructure renewal project enters new phase in Paris, Ont.

People in Paris, Ont. are facing a frustrating summer as a portion of the town’s main street will be closed. CTV’s Ashley Bacon finds out how long the disruptio

The ‘Downtown Dig’ continues in Paris, Ont.

The major rejuvenation project, now entering Phase Two, started a few weeks later than initially planned.

“We’re trying to be mindful with any construction project things [that] can crop up, so we broke it into sort of sub-phases,” explained Adam Crozier, the director corporate strategy for Brant County. “At the end of the day, we’re hoping to complete all construction activity in 2025 by October 31st.”

A stretch of Grand River Street North will be closed to vehicular traffic for the next five months.

“We understand this is going to be probably one of the more impactful parts of the downtown dig,” admitted Crozier. “It’s the main street, it’s where most of our merchants are. So clearly, we’re encouraging residents and visitors to keep frequenting downtown Paris and support our downtown Paris BIA.”

The county said this phase of the work has stayed within its projected budget.

“The tender amount was about $6.5 million, so not an insignificant project but at the same time, it was very close to our estimates and we’re happy with that,” Crozier said.

The roadwork will take place directly in front of Chocolate Sensations. Co-owner Sarah Chalmers was optimistic the project would not impact her bottom line.

“Traffic is always a concern, but I’m finding people have been patient with understanding the project and giving a little bit more time to get through town,” she said.

The downtown dig consists of both underground work and sidewalk rejuvenation, including:

• New water and sewer systems
• Upgraded utilities
• Full road reconstruction
• Widened and accessible sidewalks
• Streetscaping elements like trees, benches and lighting
• Digital and climate-resilient features

Chalmers is encouraging residents and visitors to visit downtown.

“We’re still open, we’re still going to have our extended hours for our ice cream sales this summer and there is still going to be access for the sidewalks and crosswalks,” she said.

If project keeps to its proposed timeline, Phase 3 will kick off next year with construction work moving to Mechanic Street.