Talbot Street traffic near the Smart Centres plaza has moved over to the north side of the road so crews can work on the south side. The City had told drivers in an October 9th update that its contractor, J-AAR, would make the lane shift on Tuesday morning, October 13th. LocVox confirmed Wednesday morning cars were travelling both ways on the north side from St. Thomas Ford to the Pioneer gas station.
Talbot is one of four City road projects posted to start between March and June this year and finish between August and October. Here is where each one stands, going by the City’s own construction updates, its answers to LocVox’s questions and what LocVox saw on the ground on Wednesday.
Talbot Street, First Avenue to Fairview Avenue
This is the Talbot Street Trunk Sewer Replacement Project. The sewer upgrade is critical for servicing Yarmouth Yards, the industrial park being built around the PowerCo battery plant. Work began April 13th, and the City’s road notice said it would run until October. The City now expects it to be finished in November, Dan Koppert, the City’s manager of capital works, told LocVox on Wednesday.
The job is split into six stages so Talbot stays open the whole time. Stage 4, the south side from First Avenue to Fairview Avenue, got under way this week, starting between St. Thomas Ford and the traffic lights at Harvey’s. This stage is mostly surface restoration, with little sewer or watermain work needed. On the north side, curbs and gutters are still going in toward Fairview Avenue. Farther east, the pattern flips: from the Pioneer station east to just past Briwood Farm Market, traffic on Wednesday was running one lane each way on the south side while work went on along the north side. After that come Stage 5, paving on both sides, and Stage 6, finishing the 2025 Fairview Avenue construction project.
The City’s notice says two lanes of through traffic and access to businesses are kept open, with lane restrictions. The posted alternate route is First Avenue to Wellington Street and then to Fairview Avenue.
Alma Street, Talbot Street to Highway 3
The first phase, from Talbot Street to the CN tracks, is wrapped up. The topsoil and sod are down, and a few small tasks and fixes will be finished over the next few weeks. On Wednesday, Alma was fully open to traffic from Talbot Street to Redan Street.
On the second phase, from the CN tracks to Highway 3, the curbs ran late. Delays with the concrete curb subcontractor pushed curb work to a tentative start on Tuesday, October 13th, weather permitting. On Wednesday, Koppert said concrete and asphalt work on that phase is under way, and the City now expects it to be finished in November. The project page had given October 2026. The City’s October 9th update said driveway access is interrupted while the curbs go in. Alma stays closed from Nolan Street to Highway 3, open to local traffic only.
Woodworth Avenue, Highway 3 Expressway to South Edgeware Road
All of the underground work is done. The sewers, storm sewers, watermain, curb, sidewalk and base asphalt are in, and driveway paving and topsoil were next on the list. The road is still closed to through traffic, open to local traffic only. On Wednesday, Koppert said Woodworth is nearly complete, with driveways, topsoil and sod under way, and should be finished in the next couple of weeks.
When work began on March 9th, the City said it would continue until August. Woodworth is the first project in a multi-phase plan to rebuild infrastructure in the north end, and the project adds a sidewalk on the west side.
Pearl Street, Scott Street to Elysian Street
The City’s notice set the Pearl Street work to begin June 29th and run until September. Pearl’s September 25th update said the driveways and the road’s asphalt were done, and that the rest (sod, new street signs and fixing deficiencies) would be finished over the following week. On Wednesday, traffic was moving both ways on Pearl, and Koppert confirmed the work is complete. So is the St. George Street project, which shares Pearl’s page on Speak Up St. Thomas.
Talbot, Alma and Woodworth each have a page on Speak Up St. Thomas, and Pearl shares one with St. George Street. Each page lists past updates and the project manager’s phone number. Road closures in the city are also listed on Municipal 511.
Koppert said the City’s 2026 capital program is wrapping up. Updates on all of the City’s construction projects are posted at speakupstthomas.ca/construction-updates.
Sources: Talbot Street Trunk Sewer Replacement Project (Speak Up St. Thomas), Alma Street Construction (Speak Up St. Thomas), Woodworth Avenue Construction (Speak Up St. Thomas), St. George Street and Pearl Street Construction (Speak Up St. Thomas)
By Anthony Zruna · About the LocVox Newsroom
Update - October 14, 2026, 12:34 p.m. ET: Added the City’s expected finish dates for Talbot Street and the second phase of Alma Street (November) and Woodworth Avenue (the next couple of weeks), and its confirmation that Pearl Street and St. George Street are complete. Dan Koppert, the City’s manager of capital works, answered LocVox’s questions after this article was published.
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