Construction on Trout Lake Road, a busy North Bay street, starts Monday as the City of North Bay replaces an irregular-shaped intersection with a roundabout. But some living near the intersection are worried about how much congestion the project will cause. Glenn Meadows, who lives on Laurentian Avenue, said he’s relieved the road will finally get a facelift. “Well, the potholes are well overdue to be fixed,” Meadows said. His neighbour, Gerry Cantin, said driving along the bumpy street is a problem. “It’s been a disaster with those wheel ruts and it’s hard driving when you have a very big vehicle,” Cantin added. Other neighbours wonder how the traffic backup near the Highway 11/17 intersection will affect vehicles entering the roundabout during busy commutes. Approved by city council last month, the $5.72 million road project is set between Highway 11/17 and Kingsway Avenue. It includes roadway reconstruction, a multi-use path, a concrete sidewalk and a roundabout that will replace the lights at the Laurentian Avenue and Trout Lake Road intersections. “It’s going to cause more problems than what they’re looking at right now,” said Jack Brown, who lives only steps away from the intersection “Especially with all the transports coming from up Highway 63.” It’s the first phase of fixing up the busy street. “It’s been on the books for a while, for the last maybe five years or something,” said Alan Korell, North Bay’s interim engineer. “We’ve been making applications to (the Ministry of Transportation) for the funding and last year we got the funding for this.” The city said the existing intersection has offset geometry. The work starting Monday will focus on preparing the site, including brush removal and clearing, staging area setup, installing traffic control signs and moving utility poles. On July 6, traffic control measures will be in place with Trout Lake Road reduced to one lane in each direction. Temporary side street closures may also be needed, with access maintained where possible. ‘I know it’s going to be a mess’ “Congestion coming from the mall coming from here -- I know it’s going to be a mess,” Brown said. The north leg of Laurentian Avenue will be closed and traffic will be detoured, while access to the south leg into the mall will remain open. “I’m looking forward to this project. I’m just a little worried about getting out,” Cantin added. “Apparently, they’re going to take us to Bank Street.” The city said 90 per cent of the project’s cost is covered by the Ministry of Transportation. Once the project is complete, the city will shift its focus to the second phase of the Trout Lake Road Project up to Giroux Street. “It’ll be a brand new Trout Lake Road all the way from the highway to Giroux,” Korell said. “Giroux is where the overpass is and it’s pretty good there. We did that a few years ago.” The city anticipates the work, including the new roundabout, is will be completed by the end of this year’s construction season.
