Portion of busy Hamilton mountain access to close this week for months

Hamilton | Community | Traffic |

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Published December 13, 2021 at 10:55 am

The down bound portion of the Kenilworth Access in east Hamilton will be reduced to one lane until July 2022 as the City looks to remove contaminated soil found around the Kenilworth Water Reservoir. — Google Earth image

A portion of the Kenilworth Access is closing later this week for approximately seven months as the City of Hamiton works to address the contaminated soil around the water reservoir.

Starting Wednesday (Dec. 15), the downbound direction of the Access will be reduced to one lane as work on the rehabilitation of the Kenilworth Water Reservoir gets underway.

The project is being undertaken after high levels of benzo(a)pyrene – a type of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) — were detected in the soil around the reservoir. The Kenilworth reservoir provides drinking water to homes on the mountain.

Since the discovery, the City said it has regularly tested the drinking water at the Kenilworth Water Reservoir to ensure that it remains safe.

The upcoming work, the City said in a press release issued Monday, includes the removal of the contaminated soil which will then be replaced with clean soil. It also includes joint repairs to the exterior of the reservoir as well as column repairs to the interior of the reservoir.

“We do not expect any water supply issues to residents as a result of this construction work as the reservoir remains in service,” the release said.

The project and its associated lane restrictions are expected to wrap up in July 2022. In the meantime, motorists are warned to expect traffic delays in the area during peak hours for the duration of the project.

For more information about road closures throughout Hamilton, visit the city’s website.

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