Construction crews will soon be digging deep on George Street, just like they did on Princess Street last summer to replace all of the aging infrastructure under the asphalt.
Construction crews will soon be digging deep on George Street, just like they did on Princess Street last summer to replace all of the aging infrastructure under the asphalt.
Credit
Matthew Manor

After months of behind the scenes planning, the shovels will be in the ground next week as the City of Kingston begins its road construction project around Kingston General Hospital in early July. Taggart Construction will be on site for the two-year project to replace the infrastructure under most of the streets around the hospital.

This year, construction will begin at the corner of George and King Streets and it will steadily move up George to meet Stuart Street by mid-November. Next summer, the work will focus on the remainder of Stuart Street, as well as Arch and O’Kill Streets.

“We have a team working closely with the City to make sure this work has as little impact on patients, families and staff as possible,” says Rockland Prosser, Director of Protection Services. “This project will have long-term benefit to the hospital, it will help prevent flooding and provide us with new infrastructure to connect to when we move ahead with the next phase of redevelopment.”

Recognizing the sensitive nature of the work we do at KGH, the City has made changes to the project so that we can provide outstanding care at all times. For example, all of the work on George Street will be done in two phases. First, crews will excavate the sanitary sewer. They will then remove and replace the water main and storm sewer.

“It will look like crews are doing the same work twice, but this plan of work is being used so that access to our buildings can be restored as quickly as possible,” says Prosser.

Some other important information to keep in mind throughout the project: 

  • The inter-hospital shuttle will not run down George Street during construction. It will run down Barrie Street instead.
  • Signage and staff will be in place to help guide employees, patients and families through the construction site.
  • Rubber mats will be used to create temporary sidewalks for pedestrians. Pedestrian access will be maintained at all times.
  • George Street will turn into a two-way street in phases during construction.
  • As work takes place at the intersection of George and O’Kill Streets, O’Kill will become a two-way street to allow access from Barrie.
  • Cancer patients will have their parking spots relocated to King Street. The pay and display machine will also be moved to King Street.
  • Dialysis parking spots in the parking lots off George Street will remain open. Access to these lots will be maintained.
  • Nearby municipal lots will be used as backup parking for these patients if required.
  • Measures will be taken to reduce the impact of dust and noise during construction. However, it is somewhat inevitable with a construction project like this one. Staff in buildings near the construction may wish to make alternate arrangements for meetings or work that requires quiet.
  • The contractor will make every effort to avoid any utility outages in the hospital, however occasional outages will need to take place. KGH will receive advance notice of water shut downs (at least 72 hours). Utility shut downs affecting hospital departments will follow our normal internal notification process.

KGH will be posting weekly construction updates on our news and information site throughout the project. Visit www.kghconnect.ca/roadupdates or KGH Today to keep up to date. Also, read our Frequently Asked Questions document for more information. 

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