Road construction on Tiffin Street in central Barrie has some residents looking for an end to their bumpy commute and, thankfully, they may have some relief soon.
Work along Tiffin Street, from Ferndale Drive to Anne Street, began last summer and is due to be completed next month, with the installation of a new 400-millimetre transmission watermain.
The route into Barrie is used by many large trucks as well as commuters looking to get across the city relatively easily, but that hit several bumps in the road — both literally and figuratively — earlier this week.
Judy Braun, who works at Landmark Transport on Vespra Street and has to travel along Tiffin Street twice a day, contacted BarrieToday on Tuesday after travelling the pitted road to work.
“I couldn't believe how bad the condition of the road was," she said. "I have never seen a street in that condition."
Traffic had been reduced to a snail's pace this week as motorists slowed down and weaved to navigate the uneven road as best they could.
“I’ve had to drive over that job site because going the other way down a traffic-filled Dunlop Street would add double the time to my day,” Braun said. “When there is an officer directing traffic on Tiffin, they sometimes take way too long to allow drivers to travel the other way. There is no winning, really.”
Coun. Nigussie Nigussie, who represents Ward 6 where the work is taking place, told BarrieToday that on Monday the contractor encountered difficulties due to bad weather conditions following a rainstorm.
“Although the asphalt had been removed for the project the previous week, heavy rainfall caused severe deterioration of the road conditions this week," he said. "The contractor is actively working to promptly resolve these issues.
“Depending on the weather, the road is expected to be paved within the next week," Nigussie added.
Adam Kiley, the city's manager of linear infrastructure, echoed Nigussie’s explanation and provided some hope for people who use Tiffin Street regularly.
“The asphalt on this section of the roadway was removed as part of the construction, and the heavy rain on Monday caused the gravel roadway to deteriorate," he said. "The contractor has made it a priority to fix this section of the road as soon as possible."
Kiley also confirmed that, weather depending, the road should be paved within the next week.
Braun disagrees with the weather woes and says the problems pre-date the recent storm.
“It was absolutely atrocious for driving on for a couple months,” she said. “The rain may have made it extra bad the other day, but it doesn't explain the last few months.
"I don’t drive the big buses for Landmark, I drive the smaller ones for those with special needs, but I have watched the big buses go down the road and they’re just rocking back and forth," Braun added.
