SAULT STE. MARIE — Traffic in downtown Sault Ste. Marie might be congested from Monday to Thursday because construction at Canadian National Railway Co.’s yard may cause longer than normal delays. However, the construction will mean the elimination of traffic blocks in future, the Sault Star reported.
“The construction of the direct rail connection from the United States rail bridge into CN’s rail yard has reached the final stages, which may cause the delays,” city officials warned Sunday.
The construction will affect crossings at Queen West, Albert, Cathcart, Hudson, Huron, John, Wellington West, North, Francis, Tancred and Bruce streets.
The railway reported that the work is expected to be completed by Nov. 6 if there are no complications.
The new connection will give CN direct access to its rail yard and do away with the current time-consuming process of rail traffic backing itself into the yard. In order for freight trains to position themselves for entry into the yard, they now are stretched across the eleven crossings causing numerous lengthy delays in street traffic.
CN and Algoma Steel Inc. negotiated the changes after the city urged them to develop a solution to the traffic problem.
The new connection will allow CN to stop its use of the 11 crossings listed above.