New parking lot proposed at Wolastoq Park in Saint John, N.B.

A rendered aerial picture of the proposed parking lot to take over a large portion of Wolastoq Park. (Source: J.D. Irving)

A popular Saint John park by the Reversing Falls could soon see a little less green and a lot more pavement.

The Irving Pulp & Paper Mill on the city’s Westside is set to undergo a $1.1 billion upgrade as part of “Project NextGen” which will see the mill’s production increase by roughly 66 per cent. Additional parking will be needed as part of the project. The proposed solution is to add an estimated 500 parking spots at Wolastoq Park.

The proposed lot would be built toward the south-centre portion of the park, which, according to the company’s website, will minimize the impacts to the parks most used areas. A pedestrian overpass will also be built over Bridge Road to allow both mill workers and the public to safely cross the road without disrupting traffic.

Access to the lot would be built off of Lancaster Avenue, which J.D. Irving says would allow for improved traffic flow. It would also accommodate any future changes to Simms Corner.

J.D. Irving’s website says the location was chosen due to the minimal impact and disruption to traffic during construction. 78 per cent of the park (69 per cent of the usable area) will remain park land. The portion being transformed into the proposed parking lot would be on the site where the former Centracare Facility once stood.

There is no timeline, or cost for the project which is still pending Saint John City Council approval.

Wolastoq Park first opened to the public in 2005. J.D. Irving purchased of the land in 1999 following the closure of Centracare.

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