Detour season has started in Timmins.
Algonquin Boulevard has been closed between Pine Street and Brunette since Saturday, March 22, due to a fire at the Empire Complex. That closure is staying in place because construction crews are preparing to demolish the overpass starting early next week.
The detour around the work is Brunette Road, Second Avenue and Mountjoy Street. The four-way stop intersections on Second Avenue at Balsam and Spruce are staying in effect this year. There are also temporary stop lights at Second and Brunette that are flashing, which means it's working as a three-way stop.
"Motorists are reminded that the first vehicle to arrive at the intersection and come to a complete stop has the right-of-way. If two or more cars stop at the same time, right-of-way goes to the vehicle(s) on the right," reads a City of Timmins news release.
After the overpass is taken down, the road closure on Algonquin will start at Balsam Street. The demolition is expected to take two to three weeks.
For heavy truck traffic, the detour goes around the downtown core.
The route is Highway 655, Laforest Road, Airport Road, Lafleur and Shirley.
The other Connecting Link projects this year are on the bridges at Porcupine River and Mattagami River.
For this work, the city says that there will be temporary lane reductions starting sometime in May.
"Site preparation has already begun on the Porcupine River Bridge, with installation of netting underneath the bridge to deter nesting birds," says the city.
