A portion of Commercial St. between Bastion and Wharf St. reopened to vehicular traffic last week, with the area now fully accessible once again.
Work started on phase one of the Design Commercial: Downtown Reimagined Project in early September between Wharf and Chapel Street, with the project between Wharf and Church St. scheduled to be done by the end of May.
The Bastion/Commercial St. intersection was shut down all day Thursday to allow pressure washing to be done at the intersection’s enlarged Pride mural feature prior to the Thursday night market.
Johns said the upgrades make the area very pedestrian-friendly, including the addition of bike racks, curbless sidewalks, and benches.
“It just looks very much more appealing down here, and all the shops are full, from what I can tell. It’s just great businesses down here right now, as well as all the money the province and the City have put into this, making it look really beautiful.”
However, not all businesses along Commercial St. shared Johns opinions, with some visibly upset as workers continued with finishing touches.
Gaetan Brousseau, owner of Melange restaurant, located at the end of Commercial St. at the Church and Chapel St. intersection, said his patio has been basically unusable due to the noise and dirt caused by construction.
“This needs to be done. It looks like a mess. We’re in the middle of the tourist season, who wants to walk in the streets? This winter was horrible for us, like all of us on the street, so we need the summer to be good, and look around.”
Construction was delayed in October by coal mine shafts unexpectedly closer to the road’s surface than anticipated, but City staff say they don’t see the shafts impacting future enhancement work on Commercial St.
Pedestrians Reaction
Pedestrians in the area, both local and tourist, appeared to be happy with the upgraded look.
Gabriola Island resident Richard, while watching crews powerwash the Pride mural, thinks it’s a “massive improvement” to the area.
“It’s going to make the downtown alive again. More walkable, it’s just cleaner looking, it’s freshened up, it looks like there’s a lot that can happen now. It’s not looking old and stale, eh? It’s looking like a very good upgrade, but it’s not overdone. I think it’s nice.”
Nanaimo-resident Luca, while enjoying a donut purchased from a local shop, has continued to frequent the area all throughout construction.
“I come down here all the time, but it just seems really disruptive to these little businesses…I was just thinking it looked really cute. It looks like a cute little sitcom.”
Dyra, visiting from Vernon, and her young daughter Teigh liked the new look.
“Definitely (more walkable and pedestrian friendly), I’ve been here before and there’s a lot of people walking around in this area during the daytime so I can see that it’s a very well-trafficked area.”
Teigh added two enthusiastic thumbs up when asked what they thought of the upgrades, with the colourful Pride crosswalk being their favourite.
Oregon residents Dale and Susan visit Vancouver Island for vacation at least once a year and were blown away by the upgrades.
“It’s wonderful, so beautiful. We’ll be coming down here to shop.”
Total funding for this project is $6.2 million, which includes $4 million in provincial funding.
Future projects in the area include the new BC Transit downtown exchange, expected to be built on Terminal Ave., just south of Commercial St., sometime next year.
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