The east-west traffic flow in Owen Sound will ease up, now that the 10th street east extension is open.
Mayor Deb Haswell was on hand with councillors and city staff for a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday morning at 10th Street and 16th Avenue East.
Haswell says it’s been a long process in getting this road open, from the purchase of the land with the Bluewater District School Board in 1999, to the five years of construction.
She says the project has been largely budget-driven, and they’ve had two contractors, EC King and Harold Sutherland Construction, work on the project.
She believes that’s a testament to the professionalism in the Scenic City.
Haswell says the extension will smooth traffic flow to the commercial areas of the city, and it will take pressure off the residential neighbourhood around 15th Street B East.
And Haswell was excited to learn about the new technology in the set of street lights at the intersection.
The lights have wireless sensors, which means the road won’t need to be ripped up if something is wrong with a sensor.
She says the traffic is sensed, and the lights respond accordingly to change the lights when needed.
The total project came in at a cost of 1.7 million dollars — with more than a million dollars contributed by the Bluewater District School Board.
