The new year will herald the launch of a number of new infrastructure projects in the city of Kingston.
In 2019, the city will see the start of construction on not one but two bridges, plus some other road projects. The largest on the list is the third crossing of the Cataraqui River.
Mark Van Buren, the commissioner of transport and infrastructure for the city, says that people will begin to see activity on both sides of the river in a matter of months.
“A fair bit of work (will be) starting this spring, with the contractor establishing some of the construction laydown areas on the shoreland, and then in water works starting later on in summer 2019,” Van Buren said.
The bridge is scheduled to take three years to complete and cost $180 million. Other projects this year include the Centennial Drive extension, a link that will eventually lead to Highway 401. Improvements to John Counter Boulevard will continue to take shape this year.
WATCH: Final piece of the funding puzzle now in place for third crossing
But Van Buren says the most important piece is still to come. “The final and the most significant phase is the construction of the overpass over the CN tracks, and at this point in time, that work is now out as part of a request for proposals.”
Van Buren says work on the overpass should begin this spring.
Another project set to be finished in 2019 is the expansion of Kingston’s airport. The facility’s north-south runway has been lengthened, and now it’s just a matter of time before the expanded terminal is complete, with a number of traveller-friendly upgrades.