Drivers call King Street East construction chaos ‘intolerable’

Drivers have been navigating construction-related slowdowns for weeks, but, as CTV’s Jeff Pickel reports, the project is far from over.

A major construction project has become a big headache for drivers in the Region of Waterloo.

King Street East is getting a makeover between Sportsworld Drive and Deer Ridge Drive. While that work is being done, drivers must navigate around crews, heavy equipment and lane closures.

“I’ve seen [the road] backed up so far onto the highway you can barely get the cutoff,” said Norm, one of the frustrated drivers on the road on Monday. “The time it takes to get through here is intolerable.”

His advice? Avoid the area, if possible.

“I’ll take an alternative route that takes me longer, but at least I’m moving, not stuck in a line with my foot on the brake, waiting for the next chance to move a few feet,” said Norm.

King Street East is one of the busiest roads in the Region of Waterloo and a key connection to both Highway 401 and the Expressway.

The region said the seven-month project has a budget of $32,281,000.

“This is a full road reconstruction,” said Jeff Nyenhuis, a senior engineer for the Region of Waterloo. “Everything is being excavated and replaced. Some utilities are being relocated as part of the project.”

The work will include:

• Reconstruction of the existing road to a 4-lane standard
• Replacement of selected sections of the existing storm sewer
• Relocation of sanitary sewers and watermain
• Minor access configuration improvements and upgrades
• Relocation and upgrades to existing hydro, gas and telecom utilities
• Traffic signal modernization and installation of enhanced street-lighting to current standards
• New concrete sidewalks and multi-use trails

It will also lay the groundwork for the LRT’s eventual expansion into Cambridge.

“This will accommodate that future project by having the eight-metre-wide median in the center of the road,” explained Nyenhuis. “It is a widening project to allow for that.”

Businesses along King Street East remain open while the work is underway.

“They could use the support,” said Nyenhuis. “We’re doing everything we can to maintain suitable access to these businesses.”

Gevontae, a sales representative at United Motorz, sympathizes with drivers.

“[The road] was down to one lane at one point,” he told CTV News. “It’s really tough for people to even find the place and they think they can’t enter at all.”

The work comes at a terrible time for United Motorz.

“Summer’s kind of our busiest time,” Gevontae said.

Construction should wrap up in early December, though crews could return in the spring for final paving work.

With reporting from Jeff Pickel