RHVP lanes will be completely closed during resurfacing, city planning detours

The northbound lanes of the Red Hill Valley Parkway will be shut down later this month as the cityrepavesthe road to enhance safety after a bombshell report raising concerns about friction levels on the deadly road was uncovered.

Officials issued anapologyto the public in February and promised to expedite resurfacing efforts this springafter admitting the reportwas kept under wraps for six years.

On Monday staff shared details about the project which will replace the current surface on both sides of the road between theQueen Elizabeth Way and the Lincoln M. Alexander Parkway with "new, high quality asphalt," according to a media release. It will also add steel guide rails, reflectors, rumble strips and other safety features.

The city cautions the work will require completely closing both sides of the busy parkway and will require detours.

The $13-million contract has been awarded to Coco Paving, according to a city spokesperson.

The project will be overseen by both a materials expert who will develop asphalt and a quality assurance expert who will monitor work on-site and conduct "twice the usual amount of testing" to ensure the asphalt is of the "highest quality."

Northbound construction starts May 21

Construction on the northbound lanes is set to begin on May 21 around 9 p.m. All lanes are expected to be closed for about three weeks.

Work on the southbound lanes is scheduled to start in mid-June and is also expected to take about three weeks, although an exact start date won't be announced until about a week before it begins.

After work on the main lanes iscomplete, crews will begin resurfacing the ramps at Mud Street and Stone Church Road.

The city notes about 70,000 cars use the RHVP every day.

"Given the parkway will be completely closed in one direction at a time throughout construction, 35,000 cars will be re-routed onto the emergency detour route or other streets in Hamilton," statesthe release.

Staff will monitor traffic in "real time" and make changes to "avoid serious traffic gridlock" wherever possible by adjustingtraffic signals,it adds.

Here's a look at some of the other safety measures being put in place:

• 10 km of steel guide rails.
• Rumble strips.
• Lane markings.
• Resetting catch basins.
• Clearingand removing obstructions.
• Replacing oversize plow marker signs.
• Reflectors mounted on posts, guide rails and concrete barriers.

The HSRis also anticipating delays during construction, says the city. Daily impact and detours can be found on the HSR website.