Hoping to reduce congestion and to allow for the safety of pedestrians, council has approved a temporary transformation of a busy thoroughfare.
Brunette Road, which runs on the Western side of Hollinger Park, will be altered into a three-lane thorougway during the upcoming Stars and Thunder festival.
On Tuesday night, Timmins Police Service Deputy Chief Des Walsh explained the plan. From 8 a.m. on June 22, until 6 p.m. on July 4, Brunette Road, South of its intersection with Algonquin Boulevard will only be accepting southbound traffic.
Traffic point duty officers will be strategically placed along the stretch to ensure pedestrian and motorist safety.
Timmins Police Service Deputy Chief Des Walsh speaks at city hall on Tuesday. Andrew Autio for TimminsToday Jersey barriers, which Walsh explained will not be the concrete versions but rather lighter, plastic, water-filled versions will be used to separate the lanes.
"We want to make sure that everyone is safe. Whether they're coming to the festival in a vehicle, in a coach, or on foot, or by public transit, or by shuttle buses," said Walsh.
Walsh said the TPS anticipates large crowds and that access to private businesses in the west side of Brunette, including a strip mall, will be included in the plan. There are three egress, or entrance points along Brunette going South, vehicles will have to exit heading southbound as well.
Industrial operations on Water Tower Road to the south of the park will also have uninterrupted access.
Concrete barriers will be established at Brunette's intersection with Second Avenue, which will block access to regularly Northbound lanes of Brunette.
"We want to make sure that the impact to those businesses, both along Brunette Road and Water Tower Road, is mitigated as much as possible, and that those businesses will be able to operate as normal as they possibly can. But, once again, with a view to ensuring that with the anticipated extra vehicular and pedestrian traffic during the festival, that everyone is safe," said Walsh.
Stars and Thunder begins on June 24.
