Fully reopened Adelaide Street welcome news for businesses near underpass project
Work on the $87 million underpass project began in the spring of 2022
Some business owners near the Adelaide Street underpass are breathing a sigh of relief after the city removed nearly all remaining lane closures last week on the arterial roadway, including area side streets that had been closed for the duration of construction.
While the city had reopened two lanes of traffic in the spring as work continued on the long-awaited underpass, all four lanes were opened for the first time on Friday with the activation of traffic lights at Adelaide Street and Central Avenue.
It was a long time coming for Jodie Marshall, co-owner of Marshall's Pasta Mill, one of several businesses near the underpass who trudged through more than two years of construction.
"It's been amazing for us, personally, for our business. A lot of our business is catering … and delivering on time is super important for us," Marshall said on Tuesday.
Marshall recalled finding it hard to get in and out of the store's parking lot before the underpass came along, when shunting trains at the nearby railyard would snarl traffic on Adelaide for blocks.
It was a problem that continued as the underpass was built, with the scale and impact of construction at one point requiring the closure of the business for several days, she said.
"Our retail sales have gone down a bit, but we compensated it with our catering. We just made it work," she said. In the long-term, the headaches were worth it, she said.
"I think that's why we've been in business for 30 years, is that we don't let anything get us down."
Three doors down at the corner of Adelaide and Central, Dr. Dorothy Cheung, the owner of Central Cat Hospital, said she was also relieved about the project's near-completion.
"It's like night and day from before when we had to stop for the trains," said Cheung, who has owned the clinic since 2007.
She joked that hearing the crossing bells while coming and going from work left a lasting anxiety for staff and clients.
"I'm overall, very, very happy so far. It's been a short time, but I'm really, pretty giddy about it."
The underpass had been on the city's infrastructure wish list for decades. More than 24,000 vehicles use Adelaide through the area daily, making it one of the city's busiest roadways.
In 2013, the city found rail activity at the previous grade crossing led to an average of eight daily road blockages lasting five or more minutes, and delays of more than 100 minutes per day.
The city initially pegged construction to begin in 2031, but fast-tracked the timeline by roughly a decade, according to a city report. The $87-million project saw $11 million kicked in by seniors levels of government, with work completed by McLean Taylor Construction Ltd. of St. Marys.
Construction crew a helpful presence for businesses
The reopening of nearby Central Avenue has made things easier for staff at Central Cat Hospital, as the clinic's parking lot can now only be accessed from the side street.
"Clients were having trouble getting in sometimes, but they're all really, really patient," Cheung said, adding that construction workers would sometimes help carry cats into the hospital.
"They were always really nice to our clients, very helpful," she said. "They tried to decrease the amount of effects that the construction had with us."
Marshall said they had a similar experience with crew members, who would frequent the business. One time, she says roadwork forced the closure of their driveway.
"We had to park down the street, and load all our caterings up on a cart. It could be like six or eight bags. If they'd see us, they'd say, 'Let us help you carry your stuff down the street,'" she said.
While Adelaide has reopened, work on the underpass isn't finished.
Crews hope to get most of the project done by mid-November, finishing landscaping and hardscaping work, along with a new permanent pedestrian signal at McMahen Street, a city spokesperson said.
McMahen Street remains closed at Adelaide.
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