Caniff will be re-opened for traffic, but next year, not so much

Soon, you’ll be able to drive through Caniff, between Jos. Campau and Gallagher. New water lines were installed at homes and businesses in this portion of Caniff, and traffic had been blocked off.

By Charles Sercombe
For those who count on driving on Caniff as a way to get from here to there, the days of construction are almost over.
First off, Caniff, from Conant to Buffalo, was closed for most of this summer in order to repave the street and put in new water lines. That job was completed, much to the relief of residents there, a few weeks ago.
And now, the replacement of lead water lines and the installation of new lines into houses and businesses along Caniff (from Gallagher to Jos. Campau) should be completed by the end of this week, give or take a few days, according to the city.
That work, which is citywide, will now continue over at Goodson (east of Jos. Campau), and then McDougall near Carpenter to Commor.
As for Caniff, there’s more to come, and it’s going to be one long spring and summer next year.
That’s when the last leg of Caniff, from Conant to Jos. Campau, will be torn up and repaved.
The Caniff project has been three years in the making, thanks to multi-million dollar grants. It is likely that the pavement getting replaced is decades old.
The cost of this last part of Caniff being rebuilt is $1.8 million. Most of that is being paid by federal dollars, and the rest (about $300,000) is from state road repair monies the city gets every year.
Next summer’s reconstruction will tie up traffic all season long, and, for sure, a number of businesses are going to be hit hard financially.
City officials say they will try to keep one lane open, but that remains to be seen.
Consider the impending traffic snafu as a way to enjoy the rest of fall and winter, knowing you can drive up and down Caniff without it being blocked off.
Or something like that.
Posted Nov. 3, 2023