Portions of York Blvd. reopen for holidays, phase 2 begins in April

Multiple lanes on York Blvd. have reopened, easing traffic for the next few months before construction resumes in April.

Drivers have been restricted to use the south side of the boulevard since earlier in July, with lanes reopening ahead of schedule earlier last week.

Phase one of the project to rehabilitate the neighbourhood, implement bike lane upgrades and install new watermains began in early July along the north side of the road.

That was when lanes were reduced from four lanes down to two in each direction from Dundurn Street to Bay Street.

Work was then extended out from Bay Street to James on Cannon Street.

The whole process caused significant traffic delays up and down York Boulevard for months.

Many of the businesses including Strathcona Market say that the lack of street access drove down sales during the summer months.

While drivers and businesses can expect some traffic relief for the next couple of months, work is expected to resume again in April.

That will be when road resurfacing will start on the south side as well as the two-way conversion of Hess Street from York to Barton streets.

The detailed plans for the April construction are expected to be finished by August.

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