THUNDER BAY – A little patience might be required of those visiting or living at the waterfront while access is restricted due to ongoing roadwork.
A CP train blocked access at the Pearl Street intersection on Monday afternoon, leaving motorists and pedestrians alike waiting for more than 15 minutes to leave.
As the construction of the Cumberland Street roundabout continues, the Marina Park overpass is closed to the public. Waterfront residents must use Pearl St. to get in and out of the Marina.
However, paramedics, firefighters and police can still use the overpass in an emergency situation, city project engineer Brian Newman told Newswatch on Tuesday.
“As you're coming down Water Street, you'll see local access only. What that means is it's for the contractor and it's for those emergency services, and really, that's all it's for. We don't want to encourage the public to use it,” Newman said.
Troy Barnard, a paramedic with Superior North EMS, said having access to the Marina Park overpass allows emergency services to get to people at the waterfront in a timely fashion.
“Since this construction started, it was kind of overlooked by us. Trains being unpredictable, and we all know that crossing is often overtaken by a train," Barnard said.
"So, getting the call today and looking into it, I think it's quite important for us to have access to the people that live over there, people that use the facilities and boating and all that stuff. So, any medical issues or anything that's going on for us to get over there is very important.”
Large trucks are also allowed to use the overpass to get to the businesses north of the marina, like the Chemtrade Chemicals Canada Ltd. or Richardson Elevators.
“We just want to limit it and let the general public know that it's not for you because you know there is a lot of heavy equipment here and there's just a lot of activity, so we want to keep people out of here as long as possible,” Newman said.
He said that talks between the city and CP Rail are currently ongoing to ensure that the trains do not disrupt local traffic, but the situation is difficult due to a gray area within Transport Canada’s rules.
“The Transport Canada rule basically states that you can't stop a train at a level crossing such as Pearl St. for longer than five minutes, but it also states that once the train starts moving, all bets are off. So, you have to understand that these trains are 2 miles long. We're obviously making them aware of the situation we have and to try to limit that as much as possible,” Newman said.
“If it stops shy of Camelot, there's access there for emergency vehicles as well, like they kind of zigzag through their way, but that's kind of our intent is to try to limit the stoppage as much as possible.
For residents at the marina, Newman advises the public to plan their trips because “you never know when the train's going to be there, and we don't want people to be late for work or late for an appointment.”
