The main thoroughfare in Port Hawkesbury is going to keep its three-lane configuration, but more changes are on the way.

Representatives from Public Works met with Town council Tuesday to go over the layout which will involve three lanes, modernizing traffic lights and upgrading the width of the road.

Reeves Street has long been a hot button topic for the Town ever since it went from four lanes to three as part of a pilot project “Destination Reeves Street” that went into effect six years ago.

The intent was to make the roadway more of a main street rather than a highway but has instead caused more congestion and confusion related to signage, than anticipated.

However, some supported the new layout.

A plebiscite was held during the municipal election in October asking residents to vote on how many lanes they wanted Reeves Street to have.

About 60 per cent voted to change the roadway back to four lanes, which was a total of 1,018 votes to 673 against.

Mayor says it’s all about safety

Council is supporting the decision from Public Works to keep Reeves Street at three lanes.

Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton tells our newsroom what they really want at the end of the day is to have the street the safest it can be for every single user.

“It’s our main street and one we rely on heavily. And not everybody that uses Reeves Street are drivers. We have pedestrians, we have citizens with mobility challenges…we have kids on bikes,” says Chisholm-Beaton.

She says, there were 14 areas that Public Works found to be problematic, and the plan is to improve on some of those, but it is unclear when the work will start or how long it will take.

“Town council and town staff will continue to be looped in and involved as the final designs are drawn up,” says Chisholm-Beaton.

She adds, that work on the Active Transportation Trail will continue alongside construction on Reeves Street and that will also take some time to complete.

In an email to our newsroom Public Works says construction on Reeves Street is not expected to begin until next year at the earliest.