Road work season cut short by cold autumn

Caroline Gravel, Director of Urban Infrastructure for the City of Sherbrooke, gave her final report for the 2018 road construction season to the City Council on Monday night. Although the city was able to complete more than 114 projects through the year, Gravel said that the unusually cold and snowy autumn cut short a construction season that the city had hoped would last into December.

20 projects planned for 2018 have been put off completely to 2019, representing 11.1 per cent of the overall work planned for the year. Although that was higher than expected, Gravel told Councillor Claude Charron that the number is roughly equivalent to the number of projects put off in 2017.

Two projects: the reconstruction of part of Beckett Street and that of du Trianon road in Rock Forest were interrupted by snow partway through and had to be left unfinished. As a result the roads will require the maintenance of a gravel road though the winter

Gravel said that based on her research, 2018 brought the coldest, snowiest autumn to Sherbrooke in 77 years.

Queen Street work in the plans

One of the projects put off until next year will involve building up the area around the Queen Street crosswalks, according to Borough President Claude Charron. The Borough President explained that the work, when completed, will see the area around the Queen Street crossings that is currently painted to indicate a “no parking” zone built up in order to reinforce the perimeter that is meant to help with sightlines and pedestrian safety. Although not clear on the exact details, Charron said that the new buffers might include garden space.