The Town of Essex held a groundbreaking ceremony at town hall Tuesday morning to officially mark the start of construction on the new Centre Streetscape project, which will see improvements made to Talbot Street from Arthur Avenue to Cameron Avenue.
The construction will also include significant infrastructure improvements along the entirety of Victoria Avenue.
The streetscape project includes a variety of streetscape elements such as AODA-compliant sidewalks/crosswalks, curbing, bicycle racks, landscape treatments and plantings, and streetlight enhancements.
In March 2023, Council awarded the construction tender to J&J Lepera Infrastructure Inc., for $9.0 million.
Essex Mayor Sherry Bondy says work was suppose to begin before the COVID-19 lockdown.
"You know we've had to wait a little bit longer, unfortunately we've had to pay a little bit more but it's going to pay off. We're really committed to improvements in our downtown area not only for our businesses but to make it more walkable and inviting for our local residents as well."
Bondy says she knows there will be headaches and detours and is asking for patience.
"We have a whole website set up under essex.ca/streetscape so you can see updates there in terms of traffic flow," she said. "We want to encourage residents to still support our local businesses. They might be a little harder to get to but want to make sure that we're providing those supports for our businesses."
Bondy adds the town will work with the BIA to help minimize any affects on businesses during construction, "I myself as Mayor, I'll be walking up and down main street almost every day talking to businesses, making sure that we are promoting them. I think communication will also be key for our business so we have project hotline that the businesses or anybody can call. It's staffed during regular hours."
Bondy says she wants to make sure that this project goes smoothly and that Essex businesses and residents feel supported and communicated with.
Construction on the Essex Centre Streetscape and Victoria Ave Project is set to begin on May 1, with an estimated completion date of December 2023.
For questions on the project, residents and business owners are asked to contact the Essex Streetscape Project Hotline by calling 519-776-7336 ext 1145. The hotline will be staffed during regular business hours (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.). Callers will also have the option to leave a voicemail message outside of business hours.