City of St. Thomas

Construction has is now underway on the First Phase of the Talbot Street project.  Talbot Street is now closed between Mary Street and Princess Avenue for vehicular traffic.  Sidewalk access to businesses will remain.  The First Stage of Construction is expected to last until July.  A detour route is set up to use Hincks, Centre and Princess Avenue.  See below for further information.

The project has been divided in half.  The first half will be from Mary Street to City Hall and will start in March and finish in July.  The second half will be from City Hall to Ross Street and will start in July and finish in October.  See below image showing the two halves (Stage 1 and 2) and nearby 2h parking.


 You will be able to drive and park in Stage 1 before Stage 2 starts, however some parking spots may be occupied by minor finishing activities such as installing benches, garbage receptacles, placing topsoil and planting trees.  A parking map can be found here.

During construction Talbot Street will be closed to vehicle traffic.  There will be detours set up for both Stage 1 and 2.  Stage 1 will use Hincks/ Centre/Princess and Stage 2 will use Horton/Kains/Mondamin.  A drawing showing the detour and some photos of what construction will look like can be found here.

Maintaining access to storefronts during construction is a priority for the City.  This will be done wherever and whenever possible.  When renewing sewer and water connections from the street to the building face or new sidewalks are being poured in front of stores (both shown below) access will be temporarily interrupted.  Access interruption duration will vary but generally expect up to 3 consecutive days for sidewalks.  We will strive to provide 5 days advance notice for access interruptions.  A backdoor is a great alternative during these activities.  At all other times there will be a fence separating the sidewalk from the construction site.  The surface will be either the existing sidewalk or temporary asphalt; see photo below.

To accelerate the project schedule, the City has hired a plumbing contractor (Drain-Cam) to investigate.

Q.  Will my water be turned off during construction?

A.  Yes.  Expect your water to be turned off 1 to 3 times.  24 hours advance notice will be provided.  In most cases the water will be off for 3 to 4 hours.  If you are a water sensitive business, arrangements can be made to turn off the water in the evening or on weekends.  If this applies to you please send an email noting your desired shut off times to [email protected].

Q.  How does my Garbage and Recycling get picked up?

A.  We ask that you place your garbage and recycling in the same spot as you always would.  The contractor will move it to a location accessible to our waste management team.  Please do though mark your address on your recycling bin so we can return it.

Q.  What time of day will work occur?

A.  The work will generally occur Monday to Friday from 7am to 7pm.

Q.  Should I be worried about vibrations during construction?

A.  There will be vibrations during construction.  Your will feel them.  This will ensure that the road will last for many years to come.  The City will be monitoring vibrations and ensure they stay below a safe level.  Please do remove valuables from shelves.

Q.  Will I lose internet/phone during construction?

A.  Maybe.  While a contractor will work around all existing communication lines a lot of time their locations are not marked accurately or not marked at all by their owners (Bell/Rogers).  When lines are hit, Bell and/or Rogers are called immediately by the Contractor for a repair and they usually restore connectivity by the end of the day.  It may be a good idea to have a back-up plan in case these lines are damaged.  In addition, repairs are often prioritized when customers also call in to their service providers.

Q.  Is the elevation of the street at the store fronts changing?

A.  No.  If you are business owner and looking to improve accessibility it is recommended to do this in the interior of the business.

Q.  How can I protect my basement from flooding?

A.  The City has a basement flooding grant program where you may be eligible to receive $5,750 to help keep your home or business safe and dry.  Click here for more information.

Q.  Will I be able to walk from the south to the north side of the road during construction?

A.  Not when the road is under construction.  To cross you will need to go to the end of the stage 1 or stage 2 limits and cross at that location.  The staging limits are shown here.

Ryan Pflanzner
Senior Project Technologist
519-631-1680 ext. 4197
[email protected]

Jamie Brunsden
City Inspector
519-631-1680 ext. 4223
[email protected]

Patrick Anckaert, P.Eng
Manager of Capital Works
519-631-1680 ext 4260
[email protected]