York Street construction pain comes with gain of a cleaner Thames River

What's going on?

York Street is closed between Wortley Road and just east of Ridout Street. The closure is part of a larger project to replace old sewer and water lines along York all the way to Colborne Street. 

But why?

The sewer mains beneath York Street carry both sewer and storm water. But they're not separated, so after a heavy rain, the spillover water — including water containing human waste — ends up in the Thames River. After York Street is rebuilt, all the water will go to the wastewater treatment plant.

Jim Yanchula, who is managing the project for the city, said the sewer lines under York Street are also at the end of their service life. In some cases, crews will replace lines that were installed in the 1840s. 

"Nothing lasts forever, and those sewers certainly weren't sized to carry the water and wastewater from large apartment buildings," he said. "It's time that they got repaired and upsized so we can continue to have the core of the city grow."

So where are we now? 

As of today (June 27), north-south traffic can get through the York-Ridout intersection but sometime next week, the intersection will close in all directions. To allow traffic from the west end of York Street to reach downtown, the intersection of York and Thames Street will reopen. 

How long will all this work take? 

The various closures along York will continue to move eastward this summer ... and into next year.

"We have to do it in bite-sized pieces," said Yanchula. "We do a little section at a time to make sure traffic can get around it, then we do the next section."

It's expected crews will get as far as Talbot Street by the time this year's construction season wraps up in the fall. In 2019, the work will resume east of Talbot Street and continue as far east as Colborne Street. 

How much will it cost?

Replacing York Street from Thames River to Talbot Street is slated to cost just under $7 million.

But ... this is a busy part of the city

Yanchula says that as the work moves east along York, surrounding streets will be kept open to keep traffic moving. 

Still, the work will cause delays and headaches for drivers and businesses along York. Yanchula said the city has worked with local merchants to try and find ways to minimize the disruption. 

How will this affect other streets?

Streets parallel to the closures will be busy. 

Here's how one person on Twitter — using a dash of hyperbole — characterized how the enclosure is affecting traffic on King Street.