THUNDER BAY – A busy section of Cumberland Street in Thunder Bay’s north core will be reopened to two-way traffic, but the city’s work to pilot new uses for street space in the downtown continues.
The city temporarily converted Cumberland into a one-way street between Red River Road and Van Norman Street over the summer, using the extra room to accommodate patios and angled parking.
The pilot project was part of a larger transformation of streetscapes in the north core planned over the coming years, as the city replaces underground infrastructure in the area.
City planners have called that a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape the downtown, with tentative plans to add more green space, wider pedestrian boulevards, and design “flexible streets” that can be more easily closed for markets and events.
The city will remove granite blocks used to demarcate patio space on Red River Road and Cumberland Street by early next week, it said.
Angled parking will remain along the stretch of Cumberland being reopened to two-way traffic.
The city will also retain a “protected flexible-use area” on the northwest corner of the Cumberland and Red River intersection that will allow for unspecified event programming through the winter.
