Correction: The $19.2 million price tag of the Speedvale Avenue project includes phase 2 – from Malborough Road to Manhattan Court – set for 2023.
Nearly a decade after planning began, a section of Speedvale Avenue will be reconstructed and widened beginning in June, with replacement of the Speed River bridge set for next year.
“This is a project that’s gone on a long time,” said Reg Russwurm, the city’s manager of design and construction. “We’ll advance that work as far as we can in 2021, weather-dependent.
“Of course we’d like to get it all done, but what we don’t get done we’ll roll over into 2022.”
The $19.2 million project runs from Glenwood Avenue to Marlborough Road, including the intersection of Speedvale Avenue and Woolwich Street. It involves widening and reconstructing the road, as well as replacement of underground sanitary and storm sewers, in addition to water main pipes.
Sidewalk and curb work is also planned.
“The road’s going to be open to one lane traffic (in each direction). There’s not going to be a full closure,” Russwurm said of the work planned for this year. “We’re going to try to maintain traffic through that intersection.
“It’s going to be tricky, and we’ll ask for patience from the travelling public on that, but it’s part of undertaking construction and improving our infrastructure to make sure our transportation needs are met into the future.”
Temporary full road closures may be required “the odd time,” he added.
The project dates back to 2013 and has gone through several incarnations and proposals, including one that would require expropriation of lands along that section of road, but that’s not needed in this council-approved version, Russwurm said. Due to limited available space and other constraints between Manhattan Court and Woolwich Street, there are no bike lanes in the plan.
The city launched a virtual open house about the project on Monday, providing people with an opportunity to learn more about what’s planned and to gather input from residents. The open house runs through April 4.
"We’re looking for any feedback,” Russwurm said. “If we learn anything from that, we can quickly tweak the design before it goes out, to deal with any issues that are necessary.”
Martin Collier, spokesperson for Guelph Residents for a Safe Speedvale Avenue and a transportation consultant by profession, feels the public consultation aspect of the open house is “a sham,” suggesting there isn’t time to make meaningful changes to the design before work is set to begin.
“They’re more concerned about people maybe losing 30 seconds in their commute by car as opposed to the safety of vulnerable road users, whether they’re walking or cycling or scootering or in wheelchairs,” he said, renewing calls for the use of a “safe zone” approach with dedicated bicycle lanes, a reduced speed, rumble strips and a traffic light at the Marlborough Road intersection.
“People are going 50 to 80 (kilometres per hour) on there right now and it’s going to be higher once there are wider lanes. That’s what happens everywhere. It’s just going to induce more traffic,” Collier said. “Some people are going to think they can get to work faster.”
A safe zone is the group’s “fallback position,” with preference for a “road diet” like the one seen on Woodlawn Road near the Speed River, with three lanes of traffic rather than four (one in each direction and a turning lane), with dedicated bicycle lanes, Collier explained, suggesting it could virtually cut the project price tag in half and would be safer for travellers, especially non-vehicle ones.
“They just can’t think innovatively,” he said of the project’s current design. “It’s backwards thinking, basically.”
This year’s work is expected to wrap up in late fall, with any remaining efforts set to resume in 2022.
Next June the bridge over the Speed River will be removed and replaced. That process will require that section of road to be shut down for about six months, with traffic re-routed down Metcalfe Street to Eramosa Road in order to cross the river.
When a new bridge is built, an underpass will be included in order to connect trails on both sides of Speedvale Avenue in the future, Russwurm noted. The structure will include a sidewalk-style platform at water level, though the trail connections are considered a separate project.
The trails’ connection is included in the city’s budget forecast for 2022 and 2023, at a cost of $860,000.
During earlier planning for the Speedvale Avenue work, an environmental assessment (EA) called for widening of the bridge to include a multi-use path, but that was deemed too expensive at the time. In the absence of that work, the assessment urged consideration of a new pedestrian bridge connecting Emma and Earl streets, about 200 metres south of Speedvale Avenue.
City council declared the pedestrian bridge EA complete in September, but after learning of concerns from Collier, the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks directed additional public consultation and engagement with First Nations.
“That work is underway right now,” said Russwurm. “We’re hoping to get the Emma to Earl EA completed in the fall.”
The city’s 2021 budget includes $130,000 for design work this year, with an additional $1.7 million slated for 2022 when work is expected to get underway.
