Town of Essex celebrates completion of downtown streetscape project [Video]

A major streetscaping project that had frustrated some downtown Essex business owners due to months of interfering with customer traffic is now complete.

“It really disrupted people, residents and businesses for a long time,” said Essex BIA chair Stephanie Winger.

But that frustration has eased, she added, as the Town of Essex celebrated the reopening of a section of Talbot Street this weekend after extensive streetscaping work that began in May 2023.

“It was difficult — especially after everyone was just getting back after the lockdown and getting back into the groove of becoming profitable,” Winger said.

“People didn’t want to come to downtown Essex … because people are just creatures of habit and didn’t want to deal with the construction.”

Among the new additions along Talbot Street near Victoria Avenue are flex street parking, AODA-compliant sidewalks, accessible crosswalks, benches, bike racks and greenery.

The Essex streetscape project has led …