Road construction at a major Guelph intersection is prompting safety issues for residents and businesses in the area.
Road widening and reconstruction began late last month at Speedvale Avenue and Woolwich Street. Lane reductions have been put in place at the intersection, as well as a restriction on left-hand turns.
Motorists have been getting crafty, using parking lots as a shortcut to avoid the intersection.
Mehria Sultani, who works at Dynamite Pizza in the southeast corner of the intersection, said the lot is getting dangerous.
"(A vehicle) almost hit me the other night when I was going to the other side of the parking lot to get to my truck," she said, adding the construction has also impacted business.
Paul Gazzola, a mortgage broker in the same plaza, has been seeing the same thing.
"The horns and everything is the stress part, I'll be honest with you," he said. "It's just constant. People that shouldn't be turning left are still trying to turn left, and then the horns go off."
He said we do have to live with it, as the work is needed.
But construction, Gazzola added, seems to be the norm for Speedvale from his experience.
"I've been here since 2006, we probably had four years, maybe, out of that time where there wasn't any construction," he said.
At Gay Lea Foods, in the northwest point of the construction zone on Speedvale, its parking lot is being used in the same manner as the plaza.
"They're not too gentle," said Ava Garcia, who works in accounting and administration at Gay Lea. "(Drivers) come flying through, coming in and coming out, so it's very difficult with the elderly walking through to get to the bank, the moms with the kids walking (too)."
She said she sees workers directing traffic as part of the lane reductions, but it's not stopping traffic from going into the parking lot.
Parking has also become an issue, she said, as people who usually park on the street have been using their lot, so workers don't have spaces to park.
It's not just businesses having to deal with the impacts of construction.
Usually quiet dead end streets in the area have become crowded with vehicles.
"Lots of turnarounds on the street," said Tammy Haws, who lives on Alexandra Street, a dead-end street immediately south of the intersection that people are using to turn around and head east on Speedvale.
"People turning around in the driveway, not paying attention to the fact that there's kids on the street, and they turn around very fast, they turn and speed out again," Haws said.
"It's just been non-stop horns and people whipping down here to do U-turns," added another resident on the dead end street, who asked not to be named.
The resident said they understand the work needs to get done, but one thing the city could consider is to add a sign telling drivers not to block the intersection, as turning off the street has become "impossible."
But the main message is ensuring safety.
"I get that you're frustrated coming through, but just go slow, look out for pets and kids," they said. "It's annoying for you to have to wait through two lights, but it's even more annoying for us to sit through a million cars coming down the street that's used to about three cars a day."
Safety is also the message from Guelph police, especially when it comes to construction zones.
"Motorists who travel through construction zones are strongly encouraged to obey all signs, which are erected for the safety of workers and other road users," spokesperson Scott Tracey said in an email.
"At this intersection, obeying the no left turn signs is also important to maintain the flow of traffic in all directions. Our officers will be monitoring the intersection as resources allow to ensure compliance with these temporary measures."
The city said construction is expected to continue through the summer, which will include the widening of Speedvale, adding new sidewalks or multi-use paths and installing underground infrastructure. A full closure isn't planned, but the city said delays should be expected.
There will eventually be a full closure needed on Speedvale, from Woolwich to Riverview Drive, so utility upgrades can be completed under railway tracks.
A date has not been set, but a post on the city's website notes that work would be done on a weekend.
