A major downtown Guelph intersection will close to all traffic starting Sunday, July 19, 2026, at 6:30 p.m., as the city digs up century-old pipes. The full shutdown of Wyndham Street North at Macdonell Street is expected to last about a month while crews replace watermains and sewers that are older than most of the buildings around them.
The work is part of the Downtown Infrastructure Renewal Program, a multi-year effort to modernize the core. This first phase has a $42.5-million budget and is being handled by Steed and Evans Ltd. Residents will notice more than just a construction zone: nine bus routes will be detoured, and no one will be able to walk through the intersection east to west. Detour signs will be posted for both drivers and pedestrians.
Guelph Transit riders will feel the pinch immediately. The detour affects Routes 3 Westmount, 4 York, 8 Janefield, 9 Waterloo, 10 Paisley, 11 Silvercreek, 12 Delhi, 20 Northwest Industrial, and 99 Mainline. Key stops at Guelph Central Station, including Platforms 21 and 22, will be closed. Night work is planned to speed things up, but the city warns the one-month timeline depends on the weather.
There is some good news: on the same day the intersection closes, a stretch of lower Wyndham Street between Wellington and Carden streets will reopen. That section has been under construction since March and is hitting its first major milestone on schedule. Two-way traffic returns between Wellington and Farquhar Street, and one-way traffic will flow south toward Carden from Farquhar. Mayor Cam Guthrie praised the crews for staying on time and on budget, while CAO Tara Baker urged residents to support downtown businesses during the disruptions.
Questions can go to Maxine Koehler, the city’s downtown construction ambassador, at 519-822-1260 extension 3913. Full details and a live construction map are on the City of Guelph website.
