AECOM City of London Pedestrian Pathway Connection Across CNR Lands in Kiwanis Park Municipal Class Environmental Assessment Screening Report

Transcription

1 ity of ondon Pedestrian Pathway onnection cross ands unicipal lass nvironmental ssessment creening eport xecutive ummary Introduction he ity of ondon (ity) initiated a unicipal lass nvironmental ssessment (lass ) study to identify the location, design, and function of a pedestrian/cyclist crossing of the anadian ational ail () undas ubdivision ine with between rafalgar treet and weedsmuir venue. anada td. () was retained by the ity to complete this unicipal lass in accordance with the requirements for chedule B projects as described in the unicipal ngineers ssociation s unicipal lass nvironmental ssessment document (ctober 2000, as amended in 2007 and 2011) and as outlined in the equest of Proposal his report has been prepared to provide members of the public, stakeholders, boriginal communities and review agencies with a structured overview of the screening process to ensure the unicipal lass requirements have been met. Kiwanis Park is a long linear park that extends south from undas treet to amilton oad and links to the hames iver. he Pottersburg Valley nvironmentally ignificant rea is located with in the study area. ultiple projects have been completed as part of the pathway system from including improvements to the multi use pathway with. hese improvements included the construction of a multi-use pathway extending the full length of the park, linking neighborhoods surrounding Pottersburg reek to the hames Valley Parkway (VP) multi use pathway system. he connection located between rafalgar treet and weedsmuir venue has not been completed due to the presence of the line. It is a priority of ity ouncil to link the Kiwanis corridor with the VP multi use pathway system. ee Figure 1. onsultation he involvement of the community - residents, stakeholders, agencies, boriginal communities and those who may be potentially affected by a project is an integral part of the lass process. he purpose of the tudy consultation process is to provide an opportunity for stakeholder groups and the public to gain an understanding of the study process; contribute to the process for development and selection of alternatives and provide feedback and advice at important stages in the process. pecifically, the consultation efforts had the following objectives: generate awareness of the project and provide opportunities for involvement throughout the planning process; and facilitate constructive input from public and agency stakeholders at key points in the process, prior to decision making. consultation program was incorporated into the study in order to meet the above objectives. he consultation program included: Posting project milestones on the ity of ondon s website: onducting meetings with agencies and stakeholders at key phases during the project; Publication of notices in he ondoner for all project milestones; otification to stakeholders, affected residents, the general public and review agencies regarding project milestones; olding two Public Information entres to engage and obtain input from the public, review agencies and stakeholders; and Issuing a otice of ompletion. P creening eport.final.ocx

2 ity of ondon Pedestrian Pathway onnection cross ands unicipal lass nvironmental ssessment creening eport Identification of the Problem he lass Problem/pportunity statement provides the basis for the need and justification for this project. urrently, the only safe and appropriate crossings of the corridor within the study area are at the ale treet/ rafalgar treet intersection and at larke oad. he separation distance between these two crossings is approximately 2.2kms. his is inconvenient for residents and pathway users and results in unsafe and illegal crossings of the corridor between ale treet and larke oad. he line within the study area is a main transportation route conveying large capacity freight trains and Via ail passenger trains. ransport anada has inspected and documented footpaths across lands indicating repeated occurrences of trespassing at various points along the corridor within the study area. is under a ransport anada rder to address trespassing on rail lands. s a result of site visits with ity staff, and ransport anada, is required to provide access control measures as soon as possible. direct and exclusive pedestrian/cyclist link across the corridor between ale treet and larke oad will: provide a safer pedestrian/cyclist environment that is physically separated from vehicular and rail traffic and is convenient to the communities to the north and south of the rail corridor; support recreational activities in the area; provide increased commuter and active transportation opportunities; and create an attractive area for residents. lternative olutions lternative Planning olutions to identify the location, design, and function of a pedestrian/cyclist crossing of the corridor were considered and listed below: o othing his alternative has been included to provide a base to which the other pedestrian/cyclist alternatives for crossing the line can be compared. Under this alternative, no measures would be taken to connect the north and south sections of the pathway with. he pathway would remain in its present, severed condition. Improve xisting rossing at ale treet and rafalgar treet he existing infrastructure at ale treet and rafalgar treet would be used as the pedestrian/cyclist crossing location of the line and the pathway alignment would connect in with the existing sections to the north by way of a sidewalk/on-street bike route via tevenson venue to rafalgar treet and south of the tracks along the Fairmont rail or combined Fairmont rail and weedsmuir venue. onstruct a ew rossing his option considers several potential locations for a new pedestrian/cyclist crossing and pathway alignment. everal alternatives for the crossing were considered with five options considered for further evaluation. he preferred alternative planning solution (developed in consultation with public and agency stakeholders) resulted in the selection of ption ew Bridge West imit of Kiwanis Park. owever, as a result of the inistry of ransportation high speed rail () initiative announced late in 2014, a larger span crossing option was considered and evaluated. P creening eport.final.ocx

3 ity of ondon Pedestrian Pathway onnection cross ands unicipal lass nvironmental ssessment creening eport ption J (Figure 2) is the Preferred esign olution for the ail crossing for the following reasons: 1. ddresses the identified existing issues (a lack of a direct connection between the north and south portions of Kiwanis park, poor pedestrian/cyclist route connectivity, and safety); 2. he grading of this option has minimal impact on the natural environment; 3. Provides an opportunity to enhance pedestrian/cyclist connections, better integrate the communities on the north and south sides of the corridor which would facilitate recreational activities in the area, provide increased commuter opportunities, and enhance the attractiveness of the area; 4. he overall public realm, connectivity of the pedestrian/cyclist network and accessibility of the areas north and south of the corridor would be improved; and 5. his alternative is consistent with current municipal/provincial policies, recommendations and initiatives. lternative esign oncepts he study also considered various pathway routing options to connect to the existing pathway terminus points north and south of the corridor. s part of this work, it was necessary to examine options for the following: 1) crossing Pottersburg reek; and 2) crossing south of the corridor adjacent to the Kiwanis ocally ignificant Wetland. lternative esign oncepts (pathway alignment) were identified, developed and evaluated for each of the routing options. 1. Pottersburg reek rossing ption 1: n treet Bike ane his option considers a 3.0m wide bike lane integrated into the existing bridge on rafalgar treet. channelizing barrier would be installed to separate the bike lane from vehicular traffic. ption 2: ttached Bike ane tructure his option is also integrated into the existing bridge by way of a 3.0m bike lane cantilevered onto the existing structure. ption 3: ew reek rossing his option would require a new crossing over Pottersburg reek. 2. outh onnection Various routing options were considered for the pathway connection from the proposed connections to the south terminus of the Kiwanis Park pathway. ecommended esign oncepts (Pathway lignment) he recommended design concept for the pathway alignment is comprised of the following: P creening eport.final.ocx

4 ity of ondon Pedestrian Pathway onnection cross ands unicipal lass nvironmental ssessment creening eport Pottersburg reek rossing ption 3 is the recommended alternative design concept for the Pottersburg reek crossing for the following reasons: Increased safety to pathway users because bike lane is separated by distance from the rafalgar treet W and vehicular traffic; as a manageable effect on the environment. his alternative requires the least engineering and is the shortest in duration for construction schedule. his alternative provides increased opportunity to establish a pathway alignment that is more functional and attractive for park users. outh onnection ption 7 is the recommended alternative design concept for the outh connection for the following reasons: he pathway routing is highly visible but not in close proximity to the rear yards of adjacent properties; Installation of helical piers on the side slopes is challenging due to the angle of attack on the drill, but firm ground will be closer to the surface and placement on the side slopes will be less disruptive than routing through the wetland which would require excavation of wet materials and placement of concrete piers down to a firm bottomed elevation; he boardwalk design can utilize natural materials (wood decking) to better assimilate into the existing environment; dditionally it has the second lowest impact on the natural environment as it spans the wetland with no negative affects to aquatic or riparian vegetation. owever, the placement of the 21m span does have more impact than a 34m clear span; and he selection of the crossing on the side slope reduces impacts on neighboring properties and provides screening to pathway users making its selection superior to the top of the slope alternatives. Figure 3 illustrates the comprehensive recommended alignment for all components considered for this study. Preliminary Project osts ost estimates for the preferred alternatives were updated following the PI. he revised estimates reflect additional engineering material costing information and quality control review. he table below illustrates revised preliminary project costs. evised Preferred lternatives Preliminary ost stimate Project omponent ost rossing (ption ) $1,280,000 Pottersburg reek rossing (ption 3) $347, 500 outh onnection (ption 7) $355, 000 otal Preliminary ost stimate $1, 982, 500 P creening eport.final.ocx

5 Y BU om d V PI d w y4 01 QUI ydro and I I K KI V W Y B I I BY Water Body his drawing has been prepared for the use of 's client and may not be used, reproduced or relied upon by third parties, except as agreed by and its client, as required by law or for use by governmental reviewing agencies. accepts no responsibility, and denies any liability whatsoever, to any party that modifies this drawing without 's express written consent. W W VI F P WIY Figure 1 QU FI Kiwanis Park V V and to be rossed V tudy rea V 150 cale: s hown ate: ugust V I 600 etres 75 PP tudy rea I B U Y 0 ailway I Watercourse Y W I U I B W P FI BV ot ines F xisting Paved Pathway Y W I I UI K I U Y U W K I egend V P I V W I VI W U I U I Pottersburg Valley Boundary U B U I KI I JU BI BI PI Y W FI Y U I W U Y W V J I F V I W I F QU F I I I U Y rs JP F P Wonderland k ione FI ree miss ve xford t W sb ity imit unningdale d pproximate tudy rea V Key ap I B U K W g WI P I JU ur V P otte r PI PI PWY I I KIWI PK UIIP VI U 'B' V K F P I Y bury BU I V igh I P B V BV I W W I V I I K V W IP FF U KP U FF UU IP K Y I V V B I WI XF W Y U UI Y V P I Y K I BV P V I YP IP U V K WI U F Y B B B P WI V W WI U F V F V F V I B I V K K K Y I U U I P KI KIW B U B B P U K

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7 BY Y FF VUV W WI KI BV PI I V! F BFU P F PI PWY I I KIWI PK UIIP VI U 'B' Key ap unningdale d pproximate tudy rea ity imit xford t W ommissioners d P WI P Wonderland d wy 401 ighbury ve egend FI I Preferred ail rossing Bridge econdary ommunity inkage Preferred Pathway lignment tudy rea egulatory Flood xtents WUI U UI BK Pedestrian Walkways ailroad ot ines Wetland FIWY W IUI UI I FI IUI B PK QUI B Figure 3 Preferred verall Pathway lignment cale: s hown ate: ugust 2014