Long road work season becoming a headache for drivers and pedestrians

HALIFAX – Construction on the roads around Halifax is frustrating drivers and pedestrians across the city as the traffic delays and road closures drag late into the fall season.

Don Crawley works on Brunswick Street. He says getting to and from work in the last month hasn’t been easy with the re-surfacing of the street.

“It’s been ongoing for quite a while for sure. It’s been ongoing since this summer and it’s made getting in and out a little tough,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's been ongoing for quite a while for sure. It's been ongoing since this summer and it's made getting in and out a little tough," he said.

RELATED: Saskatoon roads saw unprecedented construction in 2015

Road work around Robie and Young Streets is also giving drivers and pedestrians a headache.

James Buyers says there has been construction on his street for close to four months.

“It’s a problem even parking in my driveway, even driving on the street,” Buyers said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's a problem even parking in my driveway, even driving on the street," Buyers said.

District 7 Councillor Waye Mason says some streets are taking a long time to complete because they are getting a full face-lift, not the usual patch work. He adds delays are part of the job.

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“Sometimes when they get to the point when they do the final paving they find things they might not have anticipated,” he said.

Sidewalk closure complaints

Mason says there have also been complaints of sidewalks being closed for extended periods of time while road construction jobs are happening.

Pedestrian Tony Edwards says that shouldn’t be allowed.

“Often you see a sidewalk that says sidewalk is closed, use other side. I don’t want to go the other side. I want to go a building that’s on this side of the street,” said Edwards.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Often you see a sidewalk that says sidewalk is closed, use other side. I don't want to go the other side. I want to go a building that's on this side of the street," said Edwards.

To combat that issue, Mason says he has a motion before council to not impede sidewalks during road work.

“Where it’s at all possible that we narrow the travel way for cars and maintain pedestrian access,” said Mason.

Mason hopes to have a report on the motion back in a few months and have the new bylaw implemented for next years construction season.

In the meantime, he says all road work around the city should finish up soon. Until then, he says, patience is key.