Work continues on Old Chateauguay Road

The Old Chateauguay Road (OCR) Rehabilitation Project continued this week, and this time it was the OCR/Blind Lady’s Hill intersection that was closed to allow the project to progress.

The intersection was closed bright and early Monday and should be reopened as work concludes there at around 2 p.m. on Friday.

The OCR Rehabilitation Project started on April 22 of this year, with the dual goal of making replacements to the water and sewer lines under the road and repaving and adding better drainage systems to the road while they are at it.

Harold Sky, Technical Services manager for the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK), said that so far, there are no changes to the timeline of the project, which is scheduled to go until the end of November 2025.

What changed, however, is an extra addition to the street level portion of the project.

“The only change to this notice is that a bike path will be added on the south side of the road,” said Sky.

A detour has been set up on the Old Malone Highway, before turning onto Sports Complex Road and taking a path toward Mohawk Street and back onto the still-open portion of the OCR.

In a previous interview with The Eastern Door, MCK Capital Unit director Brendan Montour said that the work will continue to progress at this rate to not create any big disruptions to the flow of traffic.

“We’re trying to only disturb one intersection at a time, so that you can still get through the area,” said Montour.

Funding for the multimillion-dollar project - $4.16 million to be exact - comes from money that was secured from Indigenous Services Canada.

While work on the pipes is being done, some short disruptions to water flow in homes may happen as the workers do the task of connecting the system onto the fire hydrants on the OCR.

The new piping system will allow hypothetical future connections past Diabo Road, if more homes or businesses are built in that end of the OCR as the community expands.

As with any construction site, some damage to the surrounding area might happen - for example broken fencing as the fire hydrant is being connected, a large truck damaging a driveway, and so on. The MCK confirmed that any damage done to private property during the work would be repaired or, if necessary, replaced.

The date of the next closure is not currently available but will be communicated beforehand through an MCK press release.

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