February 26, 2010

REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY OF WATERLOO

A railway overpass planned for Kitchener, Ont.’s Weber street will feature architectural enhancements because of its proximity to the downtown core.

FEATURE | Roadbuilding

Major upgrade planned for downtown artery in Kitchener

PETER KENTER

correspondent

The Regional Municipality of Waterloo is finalizing plans to widen and upgrade one of Kitchener’s major downtown arteries, Weber Street.

The street, which runs primarily at a width of four lanes, handles a large number of vehicles, but traffic is currently held back at a narrow two-lane section, an S-curve and an at-grade CN rail crossing. Traffic congestion also hampers cross-traffic at intersections along Weber.

The Region anticipates additional traffic due to population increases and additional burdens on Weber if action is taken on tentative plans to replace two lanes of King Street, which runs parallel to Weber, with rapid transit.

The current plan would involve widening the street to four lanes along its full length, straightening the curve, and building a railway underpass. The project would require purchasing all or part of more than 50 properties along the route. Nine properties have already been purchased. Trees removed during construction would be replaced at a two-to-one ratio.

The road improvement program is part of Waterloo’s Regional Transportation Master Plan and anticipates traffic requirements to a horizon year of 2031.

The project was originally estimated at about $39 million several years ago, before the environmental assessment process was started, and before the road design took shape. A design concept presented for public consultation in November estimates construction cost at about $52 million.

“The $52-million figure was a rough estimate for the design concept presented at the Nov. 30, 2010 Public Consultation Centre,” notes Peter Linn, a senior project manager with Waterloo Region. “It does not include cost sharing for the grade separation or disposal of remnant land parcels.”

Current plans call for construction to begin in 2015 and finish in 2017. However, that construction start date is contingent on completing the purchase of all of the required property and final negotiation and execution of all cost-sharing agreements for the grade separation.

The project is also undergoing a Municipal Class Environmental Assessment under the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act.

“The current level crossing of the CN Rail double track can cause traffic to back up into other intersections on Weber Street,” says Linn.

“With expected traffic increases on Weber Street and projected increased train traffic, this situation will get worse.”

The rail underpass will be located beside the existing Via Rail station. Although the material to be used for the bridge — either steel or concrete — has not yet been confirmed, the project team has recommended that the structure should feature architectural or aesthetic enhancements because of its proximity to the downtown core.

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