Old Canoe Creek Road in St. Cloud to re-open Wednesday

Both the south and northbound lanes on Old Canoe Creek Road will reopen Wednesday returning traffic to nearly normal status after three months. The lanes will be reopened with temporary single lane closures scheduled for minor outlying work to be performed around the road.

Old Canoe Creek Road has been closed since Dec. 18, after a large pipe collapse that destroyed a sidewalk and part of the road. The impact was significant and the scope of restoration work and safety factors forced long-term road closures that were disruptive to motorists. Since the incident, crews have been working to remove and replace the damaged nine-foot pipe culvert and rebuild the roadway; so to reestablish stormwater flow and motorist access along Old Canoe Creek Road.

The canal serves as a main part of the citywide stormwater system designed to move water runoff from roads and structures into large bodies of water, especially important during storm surges. The canal is filled with water 365 days a year and flow cannot be blocked. The culvert and roadway repair work in the canal, required the contractor to run pump systems so to continuously move water downstream and divert it around the construction site.

City engineers will continue to monitor traffic along with construction progress and to ensure that water flow returns to required levels. Osceola County will make adjustments to the surrounding roadways to account for the reopening of the Old Canoe Creek Road section.