Summerside's long-awaited East-West Connector expected to open next month
CBC
Barriers are in place and light installation is underway along Summerside’s East-West Housing Corridor — but officials say not for much longer.
The project, which was announced as part of the city’s budget back in 2022, was expected to be open to drivers around Christmas.
But chief administrative officer JP Desrosiers said some obstacles — like inclement weather and a delayed delivery of light poles — prevented that from happening.
“The light poles you see behind me… did arrive in mid to early December. As you know, we hit some weather delays throughout that time frame, so getting them installed with high winds and cold temperatures was a challenge,” he said.
“Now we’re looking at an end-of-the-month/first of February opening date.”
The East-West Housing Corridor connects Water Street East with MacEwan Road and Ryan Street, and creates direct access to about 140 hectares (345 acres) of land.
The 2.2-kilometre road is designed to help funnel traffic away from the city's downtown toward the mall district on Granville Street.
Delays by way of weather and light poles weren’t the only holdup for the corridor’s completion.
Desrosiers said the city spent the last number of years working with landowners who would be affected by the project — and not all of them were on board right away.
“Unfortunately... we were in an expropriation on a property with a property owner there. That certainly wasn't something we wanted to move forward with, but it was the end result," he said. "That process was completed in anticipation of the opening of the roadway.”
An east-west connector road has been years in the making, with a first version of the concept presented to the the city's council in 2001.
Desrosiers said he’s excited to see the finished result, and for the community to reap the benefits.
“I think our community is ready for it. It opens up 350 acres of developable land for our community at a time when housing remains a crunch,” he said.
“I think property owners in the area are excited to get their land developed and see what can happen here, and I think drivers will be happy to have… a connector to access services at both ends of the city.”
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Barriers are in place and light installation is underway along Summerside’s East-West Housing Corridor — but officials say not for much longer.
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