Kitchener’s Queen Street getting revamp

Kitchener will be closing downtown sections of Queen Street as part its placemaking project.

The area revamp is scheduled to start in April and wrap up in August. 

It will cost $3.3 million to transform the two block stretch from Duke Street to Charles into a more pedestrian friendly space.

According to Steve Allen, Manager of Engineering, Design and Approvals, the work will be phased in a way to allow pedestrians access to downtown businesses in the construction zone.

Allen says the last time the area on Queen was worked on was in the mid-1980's and used brick pavers at the time. City maintenance crews found it difficult to maintain the sidewalks, which prompted the city to considered rebuilding the area.

In August 2017, council had approved the Queen Street Placemaking Plan to design a more inviting an functional space. Key elements of the design include wider sidewalks, creating seating areas, and new trees and planters.

Part of the rebuild involves Vogelsang Green at on the corner of Queen and Duke. Allen says it has limited uses due to a lack of seating, poor lighting, and poor street visibility. With the placemaking project, they hope to open up the space with a terrace that could be used for events or as a performance stage. 

The area will also see improvements to Goudies Lane, along with a new parkette at Charles and Queen.

Pictures of the redesigned downtown Queen Street area can be found on the city's website.