Via Italia’s “La Bella Strada” Streetscaping Taking Shape

Hello time traveller!!
This article is 4920 days old.
The information listed below is likely outdated and has been preserved for archival purposes.

Erie Street is getting a new $2.4 million dollar look, and that look is starting to show.

The “La Bella Strada” project is a LEED Certified, outdoor, cafe-oriented setting styled with “old country” elements, reduced on-street parking and will feature an incredibly ‘greened’ stretch of roadway with hundreds of additional trees and flower planters.

Phase One of the project includes the reconstruction of the entire street by Coco Paving.

A roundabout at Parent and Erie is being constructed for traffic calming and the road is being narrowed to allow for extended sidewalk patios.

After construction crews relocated under-the-surface utilities, new curbs were constructed to accommodate the wide sidewalks and accompanying patios.

Erie Street East is essentially closed to traffic from Howard to Hall between the hours of  6am and 6pm, weekdays.  Via Italia BIA officials stress that “it is…business as usual” and motorists are advised to use one of four parking lots on the street:

• Howard Avenue (North of Erie Street)
• Parent Avenue and Elsmere Street (South of Erie Street)
• Elsmere Street and Marentette Avenue (South of Erie Street)
• Erie Street at Langlois Avenue (Access through North side of Langlois)

Completion of the road work components of La Bella Strada is expected for September.