Uptown Waterloo among first areas to see LRT construction

Road closures are on the way inUptown Waterloo in the coming weeks as officialconstruction of the IONlight rail transit system gets underway on August 21.

Caroline Street is expected to be among the first areas affected by construction, withclosures likely running from Allen Street to Erb Street, according toward councillor Melissa Durrell.

"I think it will be good awareness for the businesses to say 'Yup, this is actually starting to happen now,'" saidDurrell.

"It's not going to be easy. Construction sucks. But in the end this is going to make uptown a much more vibrant place."

It's not exactly clear how extensive the construction on Caroline will be. However,the region will releasemore detailsnext week, including information aboutspecific closures for the remainder of the year.

Durrell saysshe plans to work with the regionand business ownersto ensure customers are able to access parking lots off of Caroline Street that service shopping destinations such asValu-Mart, Shoppers Drug Mart and the LCBO.

Thomas Schmidt, the region'stransportation and environmental services commissioner, saysthe region's fall construction plan will focuson three main areas:

• Caroline Street, in Uptown Waterloo.
• Borden Street, just outsideKitchener's downtown core.
• DuttonDrive in Waterloo, which will be the future site for an operations and storage facility for the system.

Schmidt addsadditionalsignage and a new website mapping theprogress of LRT construction will help residents navigate the disruptions.

"We commit to providing information on detour routes that allow you to either get around the construction or to access anyone that's impacted by the construction and Grandlinq will be doing the same," said Schmidt.