Berford St. Reconstruction & Streetscaping - "The Big Dig"

Hi Heather,

Yes, the contract does allow for the Town to assess penalties for the contractor not meeting the specified timelines, however, damages are typically not assessed for delays beyond the contractor's control.

Lara

Hi Heather,

We anticipate that the work should be completed in summer 2021.  Of course, this is weather permitting and is dependent on forces which may be beyond our control (ground conditions, unforeseen issues, etc.)  Please check our regular project updates for the latest news.

Lara

Hi Heather,

One of the Town’s primary focuses in this project, next to providing safe and beautiful infrastructure in the downtown, is the businesses; we want them to be successful.  The BIA and the Town have both allocated funding for advertising, aside from the signage that the contractor is expected to provide.  The construction wayfinding signage will be created and installed prior to construction but adjusted as needed.  The signage will likely change and move over the course of the project as the construction sequencing jumps around to accommodate the businesses by avoiding the downtown core (for our purposes defined as Frank to Division)  during July and August.  The intention is to keep vehicular and pedestrian traffic moving along Berford Street as much as possible throughout the project, and the proposed detours and construction phasing demonstrates that.  Detoured traffic will be routed around the affected block only, so that vehicles can rejoin Berford Street and carry on their way as soon as possible.  This also keeps as much access open as possible for shoppers, and further to that, the contractor is expected to keep access to individual businesses open at all times, such as through the use of fenced-off pedestrian walkways, temporary gangplanks/ramps, etc.  All of this consideration has a substantial impact to the overall construction cost, and it’s all for the benefit of the affected businesses.

We also want to emphasize that if the business owners have specific suggestions for how we can assist them during construction, we encourage them to reach out to us.  The contractor will be required to provide a public relations liaison, or please feel free to contact our office or the consultant (R.J. Burnside and Associates) at any time.  Our contact info is available on the left side of this page.

Lara

Hi MD,

Thanks for reaching out.  The detour planned for northerly traffic along Elm Street west of Berford Street will be posted from Berford Street to Gould Street, then along Gould Street (refer to the image below that shows the Detour & Truck Bypass plan - if you right click and "view image", it should enlarge for you). We will not be encouraging additional traffic west of Gould Street, so additional signage or speed limit reductions along Elm Street/Elm Road between Gould Street and Northacres Road will not be provided.

I hope that clears things up.  If you have additional concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us again!

Lara

Hello Concerned,

Thank you so much for taking the time to write down your concerns. 

I assume you are referring to either the 50 or 75% designs in your comments; some of what you are concerned about has been revised in the 90% version of the design, which will be released as part of the agenda package for the Council Meeting on February 18th. 

The most important thing to understand is that Berford Street currently does not meet standards, especially for accessibility.  We are making massive improvements in that regard with this design.

The design incorporates AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act) standards and best practices.  We have met all requirements related to minimum and maximum slopes, minimum sidewalk widths, etc.  We have improved the cross-slope on the sidewalks and eliminated the "double curb" on the west side of the road. We are now providing a clear and unobstructed 1.5-metre wide concrete pedestrian pathway within the boulevard, which will also be a visibly different material than the pavement surrounding it (for demarcation and to improve accessibility for individuals with limited vision).  There will be tactile plates at the sidewalk ramps, which will also be improved from today's condition.  It's beyond the scope of the project to extend into the alleyways, but we will not be replicating their design.

Aside from accessibility, it appears the majority of what you're dissatisfied with relates to the streetscaping design.  The streetscaping concept was the product of a process that included public consultation and was adopted by Council in 2016.  Our current project has been tasked with integrating the streetscaping concept into the roadway reconstruction.  It has been a challenging process as the streetscaping did not take into account any engineering or maintenance considerations, but we feel that the proposed design is the best possible marriage of the streetscaping plan’s style with the functionality we need. 

A few other points that I can offer to alleviate some of your fears:

The intersections have all been tested with truck turning models in order to ensure that there will be no impediment to truck turning movements, and the road design has been done with safety and flow in mind, for both pedestrians and vehicles.

We have considered the snow storage and weeding/plant maintenance, but until the landscaping is done, we won't really have a good sense of how much of an impact there actually is.  The aim of the 2016 streetscaping plan was to beautify and revitalize the downtown core; if there are impacts, that may just be a cost of doing business.  How we will address those impacts will depend on what they are, with the ultimate decision-makers being the Town Council.

With all likelihood, the snow clearing process will probably change little, the exception being that snow piles may need to be hauled away more frequently than what we normally do, but that will also depend on the weather.  The plantings and trees are specifically selected to be highly resistant to salt and compacted soil and require minimal maintenance. The Parks and Facilities group already hires summer students to assist with landscaping maintenance; it’s possible the workflows may need to be adjusted, but we won’t know that until we have lived with it for a while. 

At the end of the day, we know this project may be daunting to many different groups of people, from residents to business owners, visitors and even travellers just passing through.  But it is a necessary project from the perspective of infrastructure renewal. The beautification and streetscaping changes are an added benefit aimed at improving the appeal of the downtown, to increase safety and, ultimately, make downtown Berford Street a roadway that can be enjoyed by all, with a function other than just moving vehicles through town.

I hope that sufficiently addresses your comments, and ask for your patience as we transition through the construction process. We welcome you to contact us if you have any further concerns; we can’t fix a problem we don’t know about!

Lara

Hi Bev,

We completely understand your concern.  While we can't say anything for certain until we obtain approval from the MTO, what we can assure you is that we have already opened a dialogue with them about the project and will work closely with the contractor, consultant and the Province to ensure that the detour routes are as minimally disruptive as possible. 

The difference between what we are planning for this project and what we had during the Willie Festival is that for the Berford Reconstruction project we are proposing two detour routes: one for heavy trucks and one for passenger vehicles.  Heavy trucks are unable to negotiate the "in-between" blocks and as such for the Willie Festival, all traffic was diverted along Gould.  Since we will be routing truck traffic out to Northacres Road, we are fairly confident that the detour plan we have in mind for this project (detouring around the affected block only) is supportable and we will not be required to close the entire length of Berford Street the way it was this past weekend.

Thank you for the feedback; I hope that alleviates your concern.

Lara

Hi Kevin,

I will start by clarifying that the construction is being planned to take place a block at a time.  Passenger vehicle traffic will be diverted around the affected block only, basically, just "leap-frogging" the construction; detoured traffic is not planned to flow the entire length of Gould.

The stop signs on Gould are a critical safety measure, so any changes to accommodate the detours will be carefully designed and must also be approved by the Ministry of Transportation. 

Heavy truck traffic is planned to be diverted around Wiarton's residential area, using Elm Road, Northacres Road, Old Oliphant Road and Bruce Road 13. 

The Contractor will be responsible for ensuring safe and reasonable detours are in place at all times, and adjustments will be made as needed; we will monitor conditions closely.

I hope that helps put your mind at ease.

Lara

Hi Randy,

Great question! The contractor will be expected to maintain access to businesses within the construction zone, likely using a variety of strategies, depending on the nature and location of each business.

In the case of the gas station, one possible strategy for providing access could be a temporary driveway from Frank Street. Please note though, that if access to Frank Street is provided, it will be removed and restored once the access from Berford Street is reinstated.

Lara

Hi Hailey,

Provided the weather co-operates, we are aiming to start construction in early May 2020.

Thanks for asking!

Lara

Hi Marc,

Yes, as of right now, we are still planning on proceeding with the project.  As the pandemic situation changes on a daily basis, however, the schedule or scope may still change, but at this time, we are still planning on going ahead with the work.

Lara