The installation of a temporary neighbourhood traffic circle at the intersection of Forest Avenue South and James Street East will take place on Aug. 22, 2024, with a rain date of Aug. 23, 2024.
In order to facilitate the installation, the intersection will be closed to traffic from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. A detour will be in place. Please see the road closure detour map.
As a result of the temporary road closure, there will be impacts to Orillia Transit service:
Orillia Transit South Route: The South Route will detour around the closed intersection by utilizing Leslie Avenue, Franklin Street, and Bayview Parkway. As a result, three transit stops will be out of service and two temporary stops will be in place. The detour and affected stops are depicted on the Orillia Transit detour map.
Temporary Traffic Circle Information
The City of Orillia is piloting a one-year traffic calming project at the intersection of Forest Avenue South and James Street East.
The installation of the temporary traffic circle at the intersection is aimed to address concerns related to collisions and speeding and involves using temporary rubber curbing and recycled asphalt to create the circle without altering the existing intersection curbs.
Orillia Transit routes will not be impacted by the circle once installed and there will be no changes to pedestrian crossings as a result of the temporary traffic circle.
Snow clearing operations will be adjusted with specific equipment to ensure the intersection is cleared.
Pedestrians should continue to cross at designated locations when safe. Cyclists are expected to follow the Ontario Highway Traffic Act, obeying the same traffic laws as vehicles. In case of an emergency, vehicles should exit the traffic circle at their intended exit and pull over safely, while those not yet in the circle should pull over to the right and wait.
The City urges anyone not familiar with using traffic circles to ensure they understand the road rules before driving in the area. Information about using traffic circles is available on the City’s website at orillia.ca/TrafficCalming and the Province of Ontario website.
For more information on the project, please visit orillia.ca/TrafficCalming or read the full news release.