Traffic in Nanaimo will begin flowing along a new road connecting Northfield Road to Rosstown Road this week.
Powder Works Road, between Boxwood Road and Rosstown, will open to motor vehicles on Wednesday, Sept. 25, the City of Nanaimo stated in a press release. The road is part of the 'Midtown Gateway' project intended to revitalize part of the Bowen Road-Beban Park area.
It will also be accessible to the No. 30 RDN Transit bus, pedestrians and cyclists, the press release noted, and other traffic patterns will change to account for it.
"Powder Works Road will now replace the Bowen and Rosstown intersection as the new access point for Rosstown Road," said the press release. "Drivers will have a week to adjust their commute and get used to the new streets.
Access to Rosstown Road from Bowen Road will be permanently closed starting Tuesday, Oct. 1, at 10 a.m.
The Midtown Gateway project also includes a reconstructed intersection at Bowen and Northfield, a multi-use path on Boxwood, and a new traffic signal-controlled intersection on Bowen, intended to allow better access to Beban Park. The project's completion is anticipated for summer 2025.
Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog said he was grateful to citizens for their patience as the project is completed.
"Infrastructure -- we literally can’t have a city without it, and these additions and changes to our road infrastructure make great use of this [previously industrial-affected] site…" he said. "This construction and its disruption to traffic will ultimately lead to the smoother and safer flow of people, goods and services in this area of the city."
karl.yu@nanaimobulletin.com
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