As the first week of construction wrapped up on King Street in Kitchener’s north end, those affected by it were willing to admit to inconvenience – but not outright frustration.
Take Sherry Plant, who hopped on a bus Sunday and headed for Central Fresh Market.
When the bus stayed off King – which is in the midst of a lengthy closure for work related to the implementation of the Ion light rail line – Plant realized she’d have to learn a new route.
“I can’t catch the bus the way I usually do,” she told CTV News.
“I’ll come back regardless. It’s just going to be tougher.”
For the next several months, traffic on King will be down to one or two lanes between Wellington and Union streets, based on the progress of construction work.
While buses avoid the entire area, motorists have other options – including, for anyone coming from Waterloo to that supermarket, a detour through residential streets.
Julie Thompson found it “a bit tricky” to get to the grocery store, but said it wouldn’t deter her from coming back either.
“I think people will make an effort to try and keep businesses going while the roads are closed,” she said.
Rav Ramlal agreed, even though he didn’t know about the construction until he saw detour signs while on his way to the supermarket.
“If you have customers who are loyal, they will find their way,” he said.
The area around Grand River Hospital will be an exception to that, with one lane of traffic maintained in each direction.
Hospital spokesperson Mark Karjaluoto said he hadn’t heard of any major issues related to hospital access, although traffic patterns have already started to change in the area.
“That’s taking people … a little time to get used to,” he said.
Hospital officials advise anyone planning a trip to the hospital to plan ahead and leave extra time.
At the other end of the closure, it’s a similar story – so far.
Tarwinder Kaur works at King’s Crossing Convenience.
While she says buses detouring past the store have “definitely” had a negative effect on business, she’s more apprehensive about what’s yet to come.
Next month, King will fully close between Victoria Street and Moore Avenue for 18 months – with no traffic allowed in either direction – so an underpass of the rail line can be built.
