Phase 2 of Orillia's waterfront redevelopment project underway
Phase two of Orillia's waterfront redevelopment project is underway.
Mississaga Street East is open only to local traffic as construction crews work on infrastructure, including replacing water mains, sewer and storm water drainage systems, and burying power lines.
The City of Orillia said the project would better connect the waterfront to the downtown area.
"Make it more vibrant and a friendly environment for the residents and the visitors to the City of Orillia," said Wesley Cyr, City of Orillia.
For business owners, the road closures and construction are causing some difficulties, but as Studabakers Beachside owner Joe Winacott noted, it's a short-term pain for long-term gain.
"New walk ways, new roads, new lights... so it's gonna be modern where we are right now, so we do have to look towards the future and not right now," Winacott said.
Construction is underway on Centennial Drive at Mississaga Street East in Orillia, Ont., on Wed., Sept. 14, 2022. (CTV News/Ian Duffy)
Heavy construction was delayed to allow people to utilize the popular waterfront during peak season, which was welcome news to Winacott.
"It was supposed to start on August 2nd in the summertime, which would've killed business for sure for us here, so we are fortunate it got pushed back a month or so," he said.
Sunray Group of Hotels cluster manager Shan Wickremasinghe said the delays helped business boom this summer. "Occupancy in the hotel was pretty high, and there was a lot of traffic down here. The LCBO, the restaurants, the hotel. I'm glad it started after Labour Day."
Winacott noted the City is working to help local businesses with signage to let customers know they are open. "So basically, it's just communication letting them know we are here."
The City had aimed to sandwich phase two of the project in between summers. The initial hope was to have it completed before the May long weekend. That target has now been pushed to June 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.