The resurfacing of the roads in downtown Acton may cause some disruption for businesses and residents, but most seem to recognize that the work is needed.
The Town of Halton Hills will be resurfacing a seven-block stretch of Mill Street East beginning in September and a two-block stretch of Main Street between St. Alban’s Drive and Church Street.
The work will be completed in two phases, between September and the end of June 2025, with five and a half months of actual construction.
The first phase will include underground storm sewer, sidewalk and curb repairs and will be completed between September and December 1. Work will be paused until April 15 and the project will resume, with the road resurfacing being completed over the next two and a half months.
The Town was approved for funding through Ontario’s Connecting Links program in May. It will receive almost $1.9 million for the project.
Teri Hoey, supervisor of construction for the Town, said most of the concerns at Monday’s open house were about access, parking and the length of the project. Hoey said at times, Mill Street will be restricted to one lane, meaning they will not be able to have street parking.
Sharon McIsaac, funeral director at MacKinnon Funeral Home, said her main concerns about the project are how procession routes would be affected, parking and noise levels during services.
“We’ll make it through,” she said. “It has to be done.”
Downtown Acton BIA coordinator Matthew Galliford said he spoke with about 10 business owners following the meeting.
"Generally, they were satisfied and happy to be kept in the loop information wise," he said.
Galliford said there were some fears prior to the meeting that businesses that are still recovering from COVID would be impacted for another lengthy period.
"It looks pretty straightforward," he said. "It will be up to us to promote the heck out of our businesses, let everyone know we're still here."
Ward 1 Councillor Clark Somerville said it has been almost 20 years since Mill Street East was last resurfaced.
The Town said the contractor has ensured the street will be safe for walking for upcoming events in the downtown, including the Santa Claus parade, Trick or Treat on Main and Mill and the Remembrance Day procession.
“This is not a full reconstruction of the street like we had in Georgetown (in 2006 and 2007),” said Aaron Brown, project manager, municipal infrastructure for the Town. “This will be a mill and pave, where we take off the top two inches of asphalt and replace it with two inches of asphalt.”
Wallace Street, 25 Sideroad and Dublin Line will be used as detours to divert traffic from the downtown.
