Since Thursday, vehicles have been blocked from the intersection of Bleams Road and Manitou Drive in south Kitchener – and the routes they’re finding around that closure have people in the area unhappy.
“It’s actually pretty dangerous. There’s a whole lot of cars zipping around,” said Darryl Applebee in an interview, as he left a business in a nearby plaza.
Mark Scholl works at a swimming pool supply business in the plaza.
On the first day of the closure, he says he saw a steady stream of vehicles using the parking lot to get around the closure.
“Transports are going through. There’s no yield or stop signs. They’re whipping by at huge speeds,” he said.
Jason Gatto, who works at a neighbouring business, had a similar story.
“It’s pretty bad when you have to go out and stop traffic just to get your customers out of parking spots,” he said.
There were lane restrictions in effect on Manitou prior to Thursday, but traffic was still able to get through the intersection.
Friday, crews from the Region of Waterloo were on-site to add signs they hoped would deter drivers from using the parking lot.
“We’ve added some additional signing … so traffic approaching from the direction of Homer Watson Boulevard will see a sign before they get to the intersection,” said Wayne Cheater, a senior project manager with the region.
“We’d like people to stay on the road.”
Manitou is being reconstructed in the area, with bike lanes and sidewalks to be installed as part of the project.
A roundabout will also be built at Bleams and Manitou.
Construction is expected to continue until sometime in the fall.
