Waterloo Street upgrades to begin in May

Waterloo Street in Saint John has a reputation for being one of the worst roads in the city, not just because of its potholes and cracks, but its crime issues as well.

But improvements are coming and that is good news for resident Trent Green.

"If it looks better, people are going to want to be here. If it looks like crap, nobody's going to want to be here," he said.

Next week, the city will tender work for several stretches of Waterloo Street and some neighbouring streets as well.

Some portions will get a complete sewer makeover to replace old, clay pipes. Others will get cosmetic upgrades.

The disruptions to water services during construction concerns Lori-Ann Trevors who works in the area.

"We service a lot of women in the area, so we want to make sure we have water on site,' she said "And definitely we want to make sure that we have, you know, ample bathrooms and sewage."

One lane to stay open

City engineer Kevin O`Brien says temporary water services will be installed to ensure disruptions are kept to a minimum.

"Unfortunately with the amount of work, it is going to take a while," he said. "And the amount of rock we`re expecting to hit, it will slow them down."

The $2.7 million budgeted project will begin at the end of May and wrap up in October.

Since Waterloo Street is such a busy route into the city's uptown, a single lane will remain open while construction is on-going.

But O'Brien says other roads may be closed during the project.