Carl Berndt hams it up for the camera while working on the Welland downtown streetscaping project recently.

Orange pylons, detour signs, construction equipment and lane closures.

These inconveniences have been as much a part of Welland's downtown this year as Civic Square, the courthouse, Merritt Park and the small businesses.

But fruits of the labour are starting to blossom, as the downtown's new look, complete with a brown cobblestone design to complement the sidewalk, bump outs and traffic islands to calm traffic, all come together.

With the streetscaping, the second phase of the extensive downtown revitalization project undertaken this year by the city and the Region, wrapping up, pedestrians can even find new benches and landscaping to enjoy when travelling the core.

The only shame, said Dave Ferguson, the city's manager of traffic and parking, is that the project is finishing after summer has come to its end.

He said it would've been nice if the work had been done in time for people to enjoy it during the nicer weather.

"That would've been a lot better, but we're definitely happy with the way it turned out," said Ferguson.

Sometime during the next two weeks, contractors for the Region will put the top coat down on the rebuilt roads downtown, said Ferguson, a process that will take three days at the most.

The base coat was laid following a rebuild of East Main and King and a section of Cross streets in July but the top coat was delayed for the city's 150th anniversary celebrations. Streetscaping work, the city's half of the project, then began and is wrapping up now.