Residents get an update on Bank Street renewal progress

Residents had a chance to hear from city officials about the Bank Street renewal project as traffic disruptions persist. CTV’s Shaun Vardon reports.

Get ready for traffic headaches as Phase One of the Bank Street Renewal project grinds on.

Started in 2024, residents and businesses have been dealing with disruptions for years. This summer, the rebuilding of the intersection at Bank Street and Riverside Drive will take months. From May until September, Riverside Drive will be reduced to one lane in either direction, congesting what is already a busy traffic artery.

Neil Cochrane lives steps from Bank Street. He understands the need to upgrade infrastructure, but it’s been painful. He took advantage of a city information session Wednesday evening to hear about progress and ask questions.

“It’s been a big inconvenience for residents, and businesses are suffering along Bank Street. It’s good to hear what progress has been made,” Cochrane said. “You have to renew your infrastructure from time to time. It’s necessary; it’s painful, but it’s necessary.”

Alta Vista Coun. Marty Carr admits the Bank Street construction has been disruptive, but it will lead to improvements in her neighbourhood. The plan includes the full reconstruction of the road, the sanitary sewer, and water mains. There will also be new cycle tracks, the introduction of full-height and mountable curb medians and new street scaping.

“I’m here to meet with the community discuss the impact so that they understand the scope of the work that is going to happen and what sort of detours are in place for the summer construction season,” Carr said. “We anticipate that there will be a lot of traffic backups but, again, it’s a necessary evil in order to get this work done.”

According to officials, Phase One of the Bank Street Renewal project, which is between Riverside Drive and Collins Avenue, should be complete sometime in 2027.

Phase Two of the project is still in the planning stages. It will affect Bank from Collins Avenue to Ledbury Avenue, near South Keys. The city has not released a timeline for that work to be completed.

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