Uptown LRT construction postponed for holiday shopping season

Grandlinq, the consortium responsible for installing the LRT line in the region,has agreed to ceaseconstruction along King Street in Uptown Waterloo during the Christmas shopping seasonafter business owners complained that road work would drive away holiday shoppers.

On Friday, the light rail consortium met with members of the Uptown Business Improvement Areaand announced changes to the construction schedule.

"Construction has to happen," said Grandlinq spokesperson Avril Fisken. "What we want to do, though, is work very closely with the businesses, so that they understand what the plans are and can actually meet with us directly to discuss their concerns and also explain their business to us."

In order to accommodate uptown businesses, Fisken says Grandlinq will put off its plans to tear up the section of King Street that runs between Erb and William streets until 2016.

While construction on Caroline Street will continue, all work on King Street will be completed and the road paved by mid-November.

Although some of the work has been postponed, Fisken says the consortium will still be able to meet all of its contractual obligations.

"We've got multiple crews working along the route...so, where we potentially lose some time in a particular area, we can make up time in other areas."

Grandlinq plans to have the LRT track ready for testing by next summer.