Five blocks. Five months. That’s the story on Bank St Jun 9. While road crews had already closed Bank St from Somerset to Cooper, the entire stretch from Somerset to Laurier is now closed, and city officials are predicting the dig will last until Nov 30.
For now, traffic can still cross Bank at each of the affected intersections (Laurier, Gloucester, Nepean, Lisgar, Cooper and Somerset.)
Construction workers will replace the sewers and water pipes and repave the roads over the five-month period. The city classifies the disruption as “high.”
The roadwork means a loud, dusty summer for One in 10, Venus Envy, Breathless, Pink Triangle Services, the AIDS Committee of Ottawa, Planned Parenthood, Bruce House, the Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network, Capital Xtra, the Centretown Community Health Centre and Centretown Pub.
Other gay hotspots — such as After Stonewall, Wilde’s, Steamworks and The Buzz — won’t see construction on their leg of Bank St until next year, when the city tears up Bank St between Somerset and the Queensway.
Meanwhile, the city is asking for input about their functional art project for the renovated street. Folks are invited to give feedback Jun 12 on bike racks that feature design elements that are supposed to “reflect the community.”
OC Transpo is reporting the following detours:
° The numbers 1, 4 & 7 busses
Southbound: Between Wellington St and Gladstone
St , busses will take O’Connor St instead of Bank St.
Northbound: Between Somerset St and Wellington St, busses will take Kent St instead of Bank St.
° The number 2 bus
Busses will bypass Bank St altogether, taking Lyon (Southbound) and Kent (Northbound) instead.
° The 316 bus
Southbound: Busses will take O’Connor from Queen to Gladstone.
Northbound: From Somerset & Bank, busses will turn right to travel South on Bank, left Gladstone, left on Cartier, left on Somerset, right on Kent, right on Queen to the regular route.
Why you can trust Xtra
