St. David Street reopens after a long, bumpy ride to completion

FERGUS – A couple disruptive years and one bumpy winter later, Centre Wellington has announced that the St. David Street North (Highway 6) reconstruction project is complete.

The provincial-municipal thoroughfare opened to traffic at 5pm on Aug. 12.

By the next morning, crews were removing road closure and detour signage on neighbouring streets.

The project was completed in three phases.

The first, from St. Andrew Street to just north of the Garafraxa Street intersection, was completed in 2024.

The second, extending from just north of Garafraxa Street to Edinburgh Avenue, was substantially completed in 2025.

‘The street has become a commuter route’: Fergus residents want more done to curb traffic woes

Several Garafraxa Street East residents want local government doing more to calm speeds on the street, which currently forms part of a construction detour. “The street has become a commuter route,” said Tony Smith, who lives near the St. David Street North and Garafraxa Street East intersection. “I just

Wellington AdvertiserJordan Snobelen

The third and final phase included remaining paving, landscaping, and active transportation work completed this year.

The overhaul was prompted by ageing infrastructure, and involved water and sewer pipes, reconstructing the road and sidewalks, adding bike lanes, traffic calming elements, intersection improvements, and streetscape additions such as benches and decorative streetlights.

The project was controversial from the beginning.

Ten of 14 on-street parking spots were removed to make way for wider sidewalks, trees, streetlights and separated bike lanes.

The decision to remove the parking spots and add bike lanes was made in 2021 by a previous council after considerable public input, consultation with businesses and the province, and with regard for the township’s transportation master plan.

Council of the day was divided on most matters — but members voted unanimously in favour of bike lanes at a June 2021 council meeting.

Mayor Kelly Linton and councillors Neil Dunsmore, Ian MacRae, Steven VanLeeuwen, Bob Foster, Stephen Kitras and Kirk McElwain comprised the horseshoe.

However, at a subsequent meeting, VanLeeuwen, Foster, Kitras, and McElwain thought they made a bad decision and asked MacRae, Dunsmore and Linton to reconsider the decision. A motion to reconsider did not pass, so the project moved forward.

The controversy continued last year, when drivers were met with a rough ride on a newly reopened St. David Street a day before Christmas Eve.

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Winter paving blamed for rough rides on newly rebuilt Centre Wellington streets

Wellington AdvertiserJordan Snobelen

Base asphalt had been laid on a layer of frozen gravel during winter cold spells, the township told the Advertiser at the time.

Frost spread through the granular material and the road buckled and warped.

“With construction now complete, St. David Street provides a renewed and improved connection through Fergus, and supports the township’s continued investment in safe, reliable and sustainable infrastructure,” the township said in an Aug. 12 news release, thanking the community for its “cooperation and patience.”

The $9.25-million project was paid in part by a $2.85-million provincial grant.