'A weight has been lifted off our shoulders': Grand Bend business owners relieved construction phase is over
It’s the first long weekend in weeks without construction and traffic delays along the main strip in Grand Bend.
With Canada Day upon us, hundreds have flocked to the beach to soak up some sun and celebrate.
Business owners along the main strip are also breathing a sigh of relief to see little traffic congestion and an increase in visitors.
Construction along Ontario Street and Main Street was designed to improve traffic flow in the future.
Construction will halt in July and August before picking up again in September. Then come next year, there are expected to be four lanes of traffic and a turn lane on Highway 21.
“It’s always very busy in Grand Bend anyways and the construction was adding to more traffic and tourists,” said Yvette Market, who owns a store along Main St.
“Even locals were getting frustrated and deterring them from coming downtown so this is great,”
In May and June construction led to major delays, street closures and headaches for visitors.
“I think people feel like almost a weight is lifted off. A lot of people are having more fun, feeling less stressed,” she said.
According to the local Chamber of Commerce, Grand Bend typically sees up to 40,000 visitors each summer.
Now locals are expecting this to be one of the busiest summers they’ve experienced over the last few years.
“Last year we didn’t get as many people because of COVID but we’re hoping it will be extremely busy, especially Friday and Saturday night,” said Jillian Regier, who works at Willie’s Beach Bar.
The manager at the Grand Bend & Area Chamber of Commerce, Sydney MacDonald told CTV News that there will be a free concert and fireworks show on Thursday night on the beach.
“We’re excited in welcoming everyone to come back and looking forward to a great summer,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.