The Stores to Shores revitalization project got off to a late start this year, but crews are attempting to complete some initial work before the arrival of winter.
The city plans to have workers preparing the intersection of Cedar and Front Street for the addition of opposing left-turn bays within the next few weeks, but nothing has been accomplished yet. The ultimate goal is to fix the extremely problematic five-way Cedar, Vernon and High Street intersection.
“We’re going to get to work now before winter arrives to create space to add the turning bays next spring,” said public works director Collin Innes.
“There’ll be paving, curb and sidewalk work done now, so that when spring comes we’ll be able to add new signage to Cedar Street and make the traffic improvements very quickly.”
The city hopes that, along with the creation of a four-hour parking zone added just off Cedar earlier this summer, on the 700 and 800 blocks of Vernon Street, the re-alignment will allow Cedar Street to become a new eastern gateway into the downtown core.
The first phase of the Hall Street stage of the Stores to Shores project, slated for the 500 block between Baker and Herridge Lane, was supposed to begin last month. But the city opted to delay work to save money and avoid deterring tourism. The city now hopes to get to it by spring 2015.
“We decided to postpone the first phase due to a tight construction schedule which would have put the project over budget,” said Mayor John Dooley.
While the plans are now in place, Council values the public’s feedback on the proposed improvements. Visit www.cityofnelson.com to see the initial concept drawings. More information on the entire Stores to Shores project can be found on the Hall St. Project webpage.