The Coast has been closely following the drama that is the Windsor Street Exchange. First it was getting an overhaul, then it wasn’t, then it was again. It’s hard to keep up.
At this week’s meeting, regional councillors voted unanimously in favour of continuing some preparation, or early work projects, at the busy intersection this year—as planning continues on a final design that will be back before council in the spring of next year.
If you have no idea what those words mean, you are not alone.
City staff told council that by getting work underway this year, the project maintains eligibility for $30 million in external funding from the federal and provincial governments.
So, it sounds like it’s back on…for now. But we wanted to get your thoughts and, as usual, you did not hold back.
Here are the official results of the poll:
And here are some of our favourite responses:
It’s necessary and the design is fine, so bite the financial bullet and get on with it already.
“Every time you request a change there is money spent on redesign, this accounts for some of the cost overages. Stop wasting funds and put it into actual action.”
“Get on with it, it’s not going get any cheaper and the city is growing at a good pace now so this will help with trying to keep up with the population increases.”
“Update of many of these areas is necessary, but dimwit councillors should not be in charge of such projects, I would want to see city engineers explain facts and figures without the idiotic bike lane folks involved. Jag”
“With the huge development planned for Strawberry Hill and the West End Mall properly functioning infrastructure is an absolute necessity. Please get it right the first time!”
“That intersection is a real mess right now and construction should be started now and accelerated!”
“Include the two way transit dedicated lanes. What’s the point of doing all this and not improving public transit!!!!”
“Also…food for thought…light rail. Use existing rail tracks in and out of the peninsula and Dartmouth for commuter rail. I guess they only exist these days on the Truro route, no longer to the valley or south shore, but it could make a big difference. ”
“Absolutely ridiculous the level of incompetence of our city planners it’s beginning to look more like planned obsolescence.”
“It is a much needed change. Quit contemplating everything ‘like the usual Haligonian thing’ and start construction. Geez!!!ð”
“Include bus lanes and bike safety and walk paths. It needs to be done, so do it properly and comprehensibly.”
It’s unnecessary and not worth the financial burden as it’s currently designed.
“Public transit and cyclists need to be part of any redesign. Council needs to make decisions that help reduce increased vehicular traffic on the peninsula.”
“I honestly don’t know if the 80 years it’ll take to build it will be worth it. Odds are Donald will invade or global warming will take us all before it’s done.”
“Put in the dedicated bus lanes. It’s needed. Designing and building it without dedicated lanes is backwards. Get the design right, go back to the Feds and Province and get a better deal. They should contribute to the escalating cost.”
“There is also the Robie St widening at the expense of multi-unit affordable dwellings and old trees – all to bring more cars into/onto the peninsula so they can park in concrete monstrosities. We need to wean ourselves of single occupant cars (mostly SUVs and pick-ups), use buses, rapid light rail, protected cycling, walking. We now have the 4th worst traffic in N. America and have gone from a walkable city to road rage polluting craziness. Ya – not happy. Also – VERY disappointed by the majority thinking ‘just get on with it’ short-termist ignorance.”
“Leave the Windsor Street Exchange the way it is.”
“With the increased projected costs to the city aka taxpayers-forget it! Suffer through it as is unless we can secure additional funding from the Province and/or Feds.”
“Get some REAL Urban planners.”
“Cancel it and spend the money on bus lanes and free transit. $57M will go a long way. If you want people out of cars, this is the way to go.”
“If the people in government knew what they were doing this would have been dealt with reasonably in a timely matter. Elected ‘officials’ have little knowledge, understanding or qualifications for dealing with issues of this magnitude…glad handing does not qualify people to make informed decisions. But this like every level of government is a ‘show’ ready to be cancelled ‘next season’.”
I honestly don’t care either way, I just don’t want to hear about it anymore.
“In the Military we use to call this a Cluster …K!”
“I haven’t really had to experience the horrors of this interchange, living and working downtown.”
“I can count on one hand the number times I have used that exchange in the past year.”
“By the time it is built.. i will be dead or too old to drive.”
There you have it!
This article appears in Jul 1-31, 2025.