Downtown St. Catharines getting pedestrian-friendly again, starting this weekend

As the City continues to support local businesses and expand public spaces for pedestrians, weekend closures of select downtown streets will resume this weekend.

Starting Friday (June 3), Council-approved temporary road closures will resume allowing businesses in the core to offer expanded patios amidst a pedestrian-friendly public space. On Fridays from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.; and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., the following closures will be in effect until Oct. 1:

• St. Paul Street from James Street to Carlisle Street
• St. Paul Street from Bond Street to Court Street
• James Street from King Street to St. Paul Street

The closures, in partnership with the St. Catharines Downtown Association, will be extended on select Saturdays to allow for expanded association events. On June 4, July 9, Aug. 6, Sept. 3 and Oct. 1 the following closures will be in effect:

• St. Paul Street from William Street to Carlisle Street
• St. Paul Street from Bond Street to Court Street
• James Street from King Street to St. Paul Street

However, there will be some exceptions. To accommodate increased traffic related to several large-scale events this summer including the “Born and Raised” concert series and “Cirque du Soleil” closures of St. Paul Street will not be in effect on July 1 and July 2.

On June 11 the St. Paul Street closures will only be in effect from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. James Street closures will still occur during these exception periods.

While the street closures are slated to end Oct. 1, last year the weather was nice enough that the St. Catharines Downtown Association had no problem persuading council to continue them until the end of October.