Newmarket resident Heather Pollock said traffic was at a standstill for 20 minutes as she tried to return home near Bayview Avenue July 20.
Construction was underway on a large stretch of the road, leaving it down to one lane. With traffic significantly backed up around the Bayview Avenue and Mulock Road intersection, Pollock questioned the planning and traffic control for the project.
“The street is extremely busy, no matter what time. Funnelling that amount of traffic into one lane? For almost the entire stretch?” she said. “It’s unbelievable. It has to be done, apparently. That’s fine. But you’ve got to think.”
York Region has begun construction along Bayview Avenue and Prospect Street and it is expected to continue for the rest of the month. The roadwork is meant to improve the surfacing and add bike lanes, according to the region.
But the closed lanes have drawn ire from Newmarket residents traversing the busy route. Construction had shifted toward Prospect and Gorham streets, with the intersection closed to traffic July 21.
York Region also resurfaced the stretch of road last summer. The region contractors would be removing and replacing the top layer of asphalt to improve ride quality at no extra cost to the municipality.
The construction went more smoothly last year, Pollock said, with the road done in more distinct sections.
“You’re waiting for 15 to 20 minutes to go. Why didn’t they just close the road?” she said. “At least then the buildup of traffic wouldn’t have been there.”
Colin Wong, York Region’s senior project manager of capital planning and delivery, said they are working to deliver the project and reduce disruption, which will include two nights of work to expedite the project. The nights are scheduled for July 25 and 27, 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.
“We understand road construction creates challenges for the community and we are working to deliver this project with the objective to minimize disruption,” Wong said. “This approach best balances maintaining access to the many entrances and side streets on Bayview/Prospect and completing the project in a timely manner while still achieving a good level of quality.”
This year’s construction will also be adding bike lanes to the streets, something cycling advocates pushed to happen last year.
But the Newmarket residents also expressed being upset by the traffic delays — and a second straight summer of work on the roadway. Newmarket resident Kamil Czuba said the disruption was significant to his commutes last year.
“It’s unfortunate, and frustrating, that this wasn’t done right the first time,” he said. “The only thing that can really be controlled is the quality of work the first time. While these guys were doing the work, it would have been immediately obvious the quality wasn’t up to par. I don’t understand why they weren’t required to fix it immediately.”
The region does ensure road work is done to its standards, Wong said.
“York Region maintains nearly 4,300 kilometres of regional roads and undergoes nearly 100 construction projects a year to build new roads and to preserve and rehabilitate existing roads," he said. “If it is found the work does not meet the region’s requirements, we work to ensure any deficiencies are identified and repaired."
