Why are there poles in the middle of a Kitchener road?

Drivers are wondering why there's a pole in a Kitchener intersection. Here's what's causing the confusion.

Residents may have noticed something unusual at one Kitchener roundabout – two hydro poles standing in the middle of the street.

Construction has been ongoing at Ottawa Street and Westmount Road. Part of that improvement process includes widening the street. As a result, the hydro poles needed to be moved back.

So, why were two still there?

CTV News asked the Region of Waterloo who said they were waiting for Enova Power to take them down.

“In the meantime, we placed pylons around the poles and are restricting eastbound transport trucks from turning southbound at Ottawa and Westmount until the poles are removed,” said a statement from regional staff. “While we do not yet have a confirmed removal date, we anticipate the work will be completed before winter shut down.”

Enova Power told CTV News on Wednesday they were waiting for telecommunications equipment to be removed. They later clarified that the telecommunications equipment was taken down, but there was also a secondary line from another company which Enova said was disconnected on Wednesday.

“Our crews have since removed the pole from the road,” they stated in their email.

CTV News visited the roundabout several hours later and again on Thursday. One pole was gone, while the other was still there.

While the timeline for its removal remains unclear, questions remain about why road crews paved and painted around the poles in the first place.

“The paving work around the hydro poles was completed to minimize the amount of restoration needed after the poles are removed and to keep the project on schedule,” the region said. “It was also better to finish the paving while the weather was still warm, as asphalt performs and lasts longer when not placed in freezing conditions.”

The asphalt, they also noted, was only the base layer and final surfacing wouldn’t happen until next year, as is usual for road work.

“We will continue to monitor traffic flow closely to ensure vehicles can safely navigate the area around the temporary poles,” the region said. “We also anticipate that the roundabout will be open in all directions, in a single lane, by the end of this week.”