Churchill Avenue Rehabilitation Update

The following is a brief status report of the Churchill Avenue Rehabilitation as of November 18^th, 2013.       

Thank you again for your continued patience during the construction of this complex project.  Below is a summary of work that has been completed so far, what is in store for the remainder of this year, and some details on what is to come in 2014. I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation for your continued cooperation throughout the construction process.

For further information on the project please visit the project website

Progress to Date

• All traffic control signals and related roadway modifications at Kirkwood Avenue and Clare Street are complete.

The following works on Churchill Avenue between Princeton Avenue/Clare Street and Carling Avenue have been completed or are on-going:

• Installation of new gas mains has been completed.
• Construction of new storm sewers, sanitary sewers, and watermain, including works on connecting side streets has been completed.
• Road excavation and placement of Granular ‘B’ sub-base for the new road has been completed.
• Rock drilling and placement of new Hydro poles has been completed.
• Construction of new concrete curbs is on-going.
• Miscellaneous traffic control signals, street lighting, and other utility works have been on-going throughout.
• Hydro Ottawa overhead line construction and transfers in order to allow for the removal of the old poles will continue throughout the fall of 2013, and into the winter of 2013/14.
• Line painting on the new roadway.
• Sewer and watermain construction on Churchill Avenue between Princeton Avenue/Clare Street and Byron Avenue will commence in the spring of 2014, following gas main construction, and will continue into the summer months, with road works (curbs, sidewalks, cycle tracks, paving, etc.) and utility pole relocations taking place through the latter portion of the summer and into the fall.

Works for the Remainder of 2013

• Concrete curb construction will be completed on Churchill Avenue between Princeton Avenue/Clare Street and Carling Avenue, including connecting side streets.
• Following concrete curb construction, the placement of Granular ‘A’ road base, including vibratory compaction and fine grading of the new roadway will be completed in advance of paving.
• Paving of base and intermediate courses of roadway asphalt will be completed on Churchill Avenue between Princeton Avenue/Clare Street and Carling Avenue.
• Construction of temporary asphalt sidewalks behind the newly constructed curbs will be completed for the winter months, along with temporary driveway reinstatements to all residences.  Asphalt ramps will be provided along the newly constructed curbs at each driveway location until such time that surface course asphalt is paved.

2014 Construction

• Construction of new concrete sidewalks, raised cycle tracks, boulevards, final driveway reinstatements and detailed landscaping will commence in the spring of 2014 on Churchill Avenue between Princeton Avenue/Clare Street and Carling Avenue.
• Gas main construction on Churchill Avenue between Princeton Avenue/Clare Street and Byron Avenue is expected to commence over the winter months, with completion by the spring of 2014.
•  Southbound traffic will be detoured away from the construction site via Byron Avenue and Kirkwood Avenue when sewer and watermain construction on Churchill Avenue between Byron Avenue and Princeton Avenue/Clare Street commences.
• OC Transpo Route 150 will return to its regular route over the winter months, and will then be detoured back to Kirkwood Avenue once mainline sewer and watermain construction commence on Churchill Avenue, north of Princeton Avenue/Clare Street in the spring of 2014.
• OC Transpo Route 16 will return to its regular route once Churchill Avenue is reopened to two-way traffic, and will not be affected by the 2014 construction.

Traffic Detour / Bus Detours

• Between Carling Avenue and Princeton Avenue/Clare Street, southbound traffic will continue on the current detour to Kirkwood Avenue from Churchill Avenue via Clare Street throughout the fall.  Churchill Avenue is anticipated to re-open to two-way traffic in early December 2013.

As per Katherine Hobbs website: http://ourkitchissippi.ca/construction/churchill-avenue-rehabilitation-update/

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Traffic restrictions on Princeton and Carling Avenues

Ottawa – Princeton Avenue will be closed between Edison Avenue and Churchill Avenue starting this Monday, June 3, while crews replace the sewer and watermain.

Traffic restrictions will remain in effect until the completion of the work at the end of June.

During the same period, Carling Avenue will experience periodic lane reductions at the intersection of Churchill Avenue, while work is being performed to replace sewer infrastructure.

These lanes restrictions are both associated with the Churchill Avenue Rehabilitation project. This is a $21-million project that will replace and rehabilitate current underground infrastructure along portions of Churchill, Princeton and Dovercourt Avenues, improve the streetscape, and add new dedicated cycling facilities on Churchill. For more information visit ottawa.ca.

Churchill Avenue Rehabilitation is an Ottawa on the Move project. Ottawa on the Move is about keeping our community and economy moving forward through strategic investments in a number of transportation, water, and sewer projects to build a better city and create jobs.

For further information on construction projects, and for travel tips to ease disruption, please visit ottawa.ca.

For more information:

Media contact

613-580-2450

Public inquiries:

ottawa.ca

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2013: DECISION TIME FOR WESTERN LIGHT RAIL AND OUR COMMUNITY

City Council recently approved the plans for the Confederation Line between Blair Station and Tunney’s Pasture. That section is scheduled to be open to the public by 2018. Key decisions on the western extension of the train’s route will be taken this year. A track running straight through our green, pedestrian-friendly neighbourhood remains a distinct, grim possibility. Information gathered by some of our members suggests city planners are viewing the Richmond-Byron corridor as their top choice.

Although city councillors voted to approve an environmental report last June that included several Richmond-Byron options, the community has still not been consulted at this stage of the process. There have also been few indications that Carling Avenue is being seriously considered as a viable route. Planners have also not specified exactly how much of Byron Linear Park will disappear, where traffic will be diverted through the community when lanes are reduced along Richmond, and whether some homes will have to be appropriated along the route.

Now is a great time to send city councillors, MLAs and MPs an email or letter voicing your concerns about the proposed Richmond/Byron routes. Email addresses can be found on our website. We also encourage you to send a well-worded letter to deputy city manager Nancy Schepers: Nancy.Schepers@ottawa.ca.

The city wants your comments on its new OFFICIAL PLAN and MASTER PLAN, documents that will form the basis of major decisions including transportation and the construction of high-rises and commercial buildings in our neighbourhoods.

Please take the time to fill out their survey, by MARCH 1, 2013.
http://liveableottawa.fluidsurveys.com/s/2031/?p=0&k=&h=b07e0bc1c3751d34acbef5b8546b29ae&s=eyJwYWdlcGF0aCI6IFswXX0%3D&n=.&l=en

Look what we discovered from the Confederation Line plans:
• The top speed of the trains is now listed as 100 km/h, versus the 80 km/h described earlier
• The system could move over 18.000 passengers per hour in each direction, up from the 12,000-14,000 in the original planning documents
• Trains could run as often as every 1:45 minutes, much more than the 2-3 minutes laid out by the planners when describing the project

Posted on behalf of Neighbours for Smart Western Rail
http://www.smartwesternrail.org/letterpress/

Clare at Kirkwood: Traffic Control Signals and Intersection Modifications

This came to us via the Councillor’s office:

Councillor Hobbs and the City of Ottawa are pleased to inform you of proposed roadway modifications at the intersection of Clare Street and Kirkwood Avenue. The proposed work at this intersection includes:

• Installation of a Traffic Control Signal.
• Addition of northbound and southbound left turn lanes.
• Perform all curb work required for the safe operation of these new intersection features.

Construction is tentatively scheduled to occur in the summer of 2012.

Residents and business owners are encouraged to contact the City Project Manager to:

• Review drawings of the proposed intersection design.
• Provide comments on the proposed design.

The Project Manager will be happy to discuss the project and answer your questions. Your feedback is an important part of the  consultation process.

For more information and/or to submit comments, please

Campbell Inwood, E.I.T.
loo Constellation Cresent, Ottawa, ON, K2G 6J8
Tel: 613-580-2424, ext. 23072
E-mail: Campbell.lnwood@ottawa.ca

Comment on the proposed intersection modifications should be submitted by Friday, June 22,2012.

Recommended Plan Released for Public Comment – McKellar Park / Highland Park / Westboro ATM Study

In case you missed it on our Councillor’s site, today is the last day to submit comments on the McKellar Park / Highland Park / Westboro ATM Study at: www.ottawa.ca/mckellaratm. You can also submit comments to  Katherine.Hobbs@ottawa.ca

The following is from an email that was circulated from the City of Ottawa:

This Recommended Plan is essentially the same plan that was presented to the Pubic Working Group in 2008, and which focuses on providing visual cues to motorists about being in a residential area, and driving accordingly, and about facilitating pedestrian crossing movements.

This overall study process has seen many challenges along the way – some of which remain unresolved even today.  A significant challenge, in fact, relates to the amount of time that has transpired since most of the data and input for this study were collected and analyzed, leaving the potential for concerns being raised regarding the continued validity of this data.  Starting this process over again, however, is not an option.  While the data and public input utilized thus far may in some cases be outdated, the likelihood of an updated process resulting in substantially different recommendations than those brought forward in 2008 is seen as being relatively low.

In 2008, at the time the preliminary traffic management plan was presented to the study Public Working Group, the intent was to follow-up with a Public Open House where the plan would be presented to the general public for comment, and to subsequently seek formal approval of the proposed plan.  Some members of the Public Working Group, however, expressed significant concerns over the lack of recommendations aimed at reducing traffic volumes.  The main focus of these concerns related to traffic use of streets in the McKellar Park Community, and most particularly around what some participants considered to be excessive traffic activities on the Fraser Avenue connection to/from Sherbourne Road.  As a result, at the request of the Ward Councillor at the time, the formal study process was essentially put on hold in order to permit the McKellar Park Community to bring forward other potential solutions for consideration, and to allow the Community to attempt to reach an internal consensus on an alternative plan that they would like the City to consider.  The formal McKellar Park / Highland Park / Westboro Area Traffic Management Study process has essentially been on hold since 2008.  There have been, however, informal discussions with the McKellar Park representatives since that time regarding further options.

More recently, as part of Council’s process of approving overall Council priorities for the current term of Council, as well as through associated Capital budget process considerations regarding the Area Traffic Management Program, Council recently directed that staff report back with an Area Traffic Management program priority update in the first quarter of 2012.  Council also approved $2.5M in Capital funding (as part of the 2012 Budget) for the implementation of approved area traffic management measures, while indicating this was intended as the full funding allocation for this program for the current term of Council (i.e., through to the end of 2014).  With this in mind, continued delays in finalizing the McKellar Park / Highland Park / Westboro Area Traffic Management Study would mean that recommendations from this study would not be considered for implementation until after the next round of municipal elections.

The detour plan that was in place this past fall provided additional insights into the potential benefits and impacts of traffic volume solutions, but has not provided any obvious traffic volume management solutions that could be expected to achieve broader, community-wide, support.  If anything, these detours have raised overall levels of concern and sensitivities regarding traffic volume management solutions, and highlighted the importance of maintaining good connections for the overall community.

Given the above considerations, it is recommended that the City proceed with approval of the recommended plan, as initially proposed in 2008, by mid-February of this year, to allow the City to take advantage of potentially the only available source of implementation funding before the end of the current term of Council.  By doing this, recommended measures from the study would be considered in the report being brought before Transportation Committee and Council, in April of this year, on implementation priorities for the area traffic management program.

The stated emphasis of the 2008 plan, which was about focusing on providing visual cues to motorists about being within a residential area, and driving accordingly, and about facilitating pedestrian crossings, remains valid today.

The need for traffic calming measures along Fraser Avenue, in light of both the high volume of traffic and speeds, also remains valid today.   As mentioned earlier, it is recognized that some residents along Fraser Avenue may not support the use of speed humps along their street, as recommended.  As such, the suggested approach for moving forward with approval would be to seek approval of the 2008 plan, as proposed, but with a commitment to Fraser Avenue residents to work with them on refining these proposed traffic calming measures.  As stated above, where area residents do not support the proposed measures every effort will be made to find alternative measures, within the same general range of implementation costs, and that are seen as appropriate for addressing the confirmed issues and are not expected to result in any significant traffic volume shifts to other community streets.

Given the significant time constraints for being able to consider measures from this study as part of the 2012 funding envelope, an accelerated approval process is also being proposed, as follows:

Early January 2012

•  Distribute the recommended plan to members of the Public Working Group for this study for comment, along with details of intended approval process
• Circulate the recommended plan to technical agencies for comment
• Provide public notice of the recommended plan being available for review and comment through the City’s website, with comment deadline by the end of January
• Post the recommended plan through the City’s website, with details on how to provide comments

End of January 2012

• Deadline for public comment on recommended plan

Early February 2012

• Seek Delegated Authority approval of recommended plan (after considering public comments received), including Ward Councillor concurrence

 

 

Richmond Road / Westboro Transportation Management Implementation Plan: Public Open House

This just came in from the City of Ottawa.

>We would like to invite you to attend a second Public Open House scheduled for this Thursday, September 16, 2010 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at All Saints Anglican Church (located at 347 Richmond Road). This open house will give you a chance to comment on a series of initiatives that are proposed to be implemented in your community over the next 15 years to encourage a shift from auto dependence to more sustainable modes of transportation (walking, cycling, transit, etc.).

This meeting is open to the general public.

Please see this PDF for more information.

If you are unable to attend the meeting but wish to obtain further information, please contact :

Steven Boyle, MCIP, RPP
Senior Project Manager
Transportation Planning Branch
Planning and Growth Management Department
City of Ottawa
110 Laurier Avenue West, 4^th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario  K1P 1J1
Tel.: 613-580-2424 ext. 26087
Fax:  613-580-2578
E-Mail:  steven.boyle@ottawa.ca

or

Tim Dickinson, M.Pl., MCIP, RPP
Senior Planner
MMM Group Limited
1111 Prince of Wales Drive, Suite 302
Ottawa , Ontario  K2C 3T2
Tel.: 613.274.3200 Ext. 3546
Fax: 613.236.2270
E-Mail: DickinsonT@mmm.ca

Richmond Road/Westboro Transportation Management Implementation Plan Open House

As part of the Council approved Richmond Road/Westboro Community Design Plan direction was given to develop a Transportation Management Implementation Plan (TMIP) for this area.

The main aim of the project is to detail how over a period of years a lower automobile modal share could be achieved though the identification and evaluation of initiatives to promote transit and other non-vehicular modes of transportation (e.g. cycling, pedestrian, and other transportation demand management initiatives).

These measures would reduce vehicle dependency in order to accommodate anticipated development in the Richmond Road/Westboro community and to respond to future capacity deficiencies in the Richmond Road corridor.

You are invited to an Open House at:

Tuesday June 29, 2010
6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
All Saints Anglican Church, Main Hall
347 Richmond Road

In order to:

• share feedback about existing barriers to non-vehicular modes of transportation
• get information about existing vehicle trips and future goals for trip reductions, current City of Ottawa citywide plans and other potential initiatives

View this PDF for details.