Last Updated on April 6, 2024 by YGK News Staff
As Kingston prepares to welcome a mass influx of tourists on Monday, it appears the city will still have to contend with the closure of the LaSalle Causeway, with no new information available on when the crossing may be reopened.
The Causeway was set to reopen on Monday after a weekend of construction, but an incident -which has not been shared- compromised an element of the bridge.
Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) released a statement saying there is work still to be done even before the bridge can be properly assessed.
“PSPCÂ advises all motorists, cyclists, pedestrians, and emergency vehicles to use the Waaban Crossing. Detour signage is in place,” the release reads.
“PSPCÂ is working on a solution to stabilize the bridge and repair the damaged element. The estimated time for repair is currently unknown. A complete assessment of the damage to the structure is needed and can only be undertaken once the affected element can be adequately supported.”
With several of the larger scale viewing events, including at Grass Creek Park and Fort Henry, and city sponsored viewing locations being on the East End, the already anticipated gridlock expected with day-of tourists could be compounded by the closure.
Due to the closure, the only way to get across the river on foot will be the Waaban Crossing.
Brad Joyce, Kingston’s Commissioner of Infrastructure, Transportation and Emergency Services, said while it’s hard to say just how bad it’s going to be without a clear picture of how many tourists will be in the city as many will go where the forecast directs them, they’re preparing to deal with significant gridlock.
He said there’s really not much that can be done about it if Kingston sees anywhere near the amount of visitors that has been speculated, so they’ve just tried to disperse it.
“What we learned from the 2017 eclipse in the States is everyone tends to leave right immediately thereafter, so you’ve got tens of thousands of people trying to exit all at the same time,” Joyce said.
“What we tried to do was distribute the sites across the greater City of Kingston a bit more so that everybody wasn’t flooding into the downtown, and it would just be an absolute nightmare.”
There will be some road closures near the hospital and along Sir John A. Macdonald to ensure that emergency vehicles have a protected route.
Public transit will also be able to access those protected routes, and with free transit on Monday Kingston residents and visitors alike are being strongly encouraged to leave their cars for the day.
All City of Kingston facilities and administrative buildings will be closed on April 8, and a burn ban has been activated in the city from Friday through Monday.
To this point, Kingston has not followed suit with the Niagara Region in preemptively declaring a state of emergency, but Joyce said it isn’t off the table.
Based on the forecast, he said it’s almost assured the City will activate the Emergency Operation Center along with the Municipal Emergency Control Group, a call they always planned to make on the Friday before the eclipse.
Overall the city says it’s almost impossible to predict how many people will come and what the day will look like, but are planning for the worst.
Joyce says people in Kingston should plan their days accordingly and try to stay home.
“When we had The Tragically Hip final concert here in Kingston, we had 32,000 and we had gridlock down the whole downtown after that for hours,” Joyce said.
“If we have between 70,000 and a half million people coming into the city, I think we can expect some pretty significant gridlock that could ensue… you could go to these viewing sites that we’ve set up primarily more for the tourists… but because of the difficulty you may have just getting to those sites your backyard may be just as good as anywhere else.”
Tourism Kingston’s Chief Marketing Officer, Alison Migneault, said there has been a focus on trying to encourage visitors to make an overnight or weekend visit out of the event and taking advantage of the free transit offered on Monday as well as activities in Downtown Kingston throughout the weekend.
She says most of the hotels in the city are booked up Friday through Monday evening, so the city is expecting at least 10,000 overnight visitors in addition to expecting plenty of people to come stay with friends and family.
It’s too difficult to predict, but it will be busy and visitors and residents alike should try not to drive if possible.
“People should expect the city to be very busy that weekend and in particular on Monday, and really be prepared and plan for that,” Migneault said.
“Park your car, leave the car behind and then take free transit.”
Those who want to view the eclipse are also reminded to get an approved pair of eclipse glasses, which are available for free or to be purchased at several locations throughout the city, including at the Visitor Information Centre throughout this weekend and at the Fort Henry viewing event.
Eclipse Totality, with the moon completely blocking the sun, is expected to take place from 3:22-3:25 on Monday in Kingston.
