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2024-12-02_Agenda Packet--Dossier de l'ordre du jour /haahb /h…b/L\[ w9thw M&C No.2024-323 Report DateNovember 29, 2024 Meeting DateDecember 02, 2024 Service AreaPublic Works and Transportation Services HerWorship Mayor Donna Noade ReardonandMembers of Common Council SUBJECT: IĻğƷŷĻƩ ‘ğǤCǒƷǒƩĻ …ƭĻ AUTHORIZATION Primary AuthorCommissioner/Dept. HeadChief Administrative Officer Michael HugenholtzJ. Brent McGovern RECOMMENDATION Common Council direct the Chief Administrative Officer to re-open all four lanes of Heather Way to vehicular traffic as soon as practically possible in 2024,and plan to finishthe asphalt resurfacing of the remaininglanes of Heather Way in 2025. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Community consensus on how Heather Way should function into the future was revealed at a recent public consultation session. It was very clear the overwhelmingmajority of the residents in the areawantHeather Way to be returnedto a four (vehicular) lane roadway, and as soon as possible. This is largely in line with the staff analysis as the option that represents the lowest cost, and lines up with various strategic plans. Opening the lanes currently barricadedand resurfacing the asphalt on the remaining lanes in 2025 retains the opportunity to consider bike lanes in the future. PREVIOUS RESOLUTION On April 19, 2021Common Council received and filed a report on 2021 Roadway Construction Projects that referenced the planned resurfacing of Heather Way. On July 26, 2021 CommonCouncil resolved a change in the 2021 Asphalt Resurfacing Program that included resurfacing another street instead of Heather Way. On November14, 2023 Common Council resolved thatthe submittedreport M&C2023-246: HeatherWayResurfacing/Reconstruction bereferredtothe CAOforarevisedsolution. The staff recommendation in that report was to resurface both sides of Heather Way and incorporate buffered bike lanes. - 2 - On January 22, 2024 Common Council resolved that, as recommended in the submitted report M&C2024-019: Heather Way Resurfacing/Reconstruction, Common Council approve the recommendation to proceed with the resurfacing of one half of Heather Way and close off the other side of the median with temporary barricades as outlined in M&C2024-019. REPORT .ğĭƉŭƩƚǒƓķ ƚƓ tƩźƚƩ tǒĬƌźĭ /ƚƓƭǒƌƷğƷźƚƓ City staff held a virtual community meeting on June 30, 2021 to solicit feedback from the local residents on potential options for re-imaging this street. Only five community members participated in the meeting. The virtual meeting was also saved and provi community members providing feedback via e-mail. The meeting included a presentation by City staff where context and a series of potential options for of each were provided to help generate discussion and feedback. During the community meeting there was no consensus on what, if any changes, should occur for Heather Way. There were suggestions related to closing a portion of the street temporarily for community events. Some concerns were expressed with reducing space for vehicle traffic during limited times where major work is scheduled at the nearby Irving Oil refinery. Some comments related to improving Active Transportation beyond Heather Way were provided. Similarly, there was no consensus on a single approach among the 23 written email responses. There were some who did appear to consolidate on the idea of buffered bike lanes if an option were chosen to add cycling facilities. However, there were others who commented that spaces should be maintained as is for motorists with some indications that improved pedestrian crossings, as opposed to cycling facilities should be the focus. It appeared some respondents may have had a stronger opinion that cycling infrastructure should be added if it connected to a broader cycling route, which it does not. In summary, there was not a general consensus from feedback provided at the June 30, 2021 meeting or in follow-up correspondence on what, if any changes to Heather Way, should be implemented. tǒĬƌźĭ /ƚƓƭǒƌƷğƷźƚƓ ƚŅ \[ğƭƷ ‘ĻĻƉ On the evening of November 27, 2024 a public consultation session was held to seek input on the future use of Heather Way following the January 2024 resolution. The session was held at Simonds High School. Approximately 200 individuals from the public attended. During this consultation session City staff presented a number of options for the future of Heather Way including pros and cons of each option and associated costs. The information presented at this session is attached to this report. - 3 - Virtually all the residents that provided input wanted to see Heather Way reinstated to four vehicular lanes. There was further clear consensus from the majority of the individuals who spoke that the city should implement this option as soon as possible, and ahead of the approaching 2024-2025 winter season. The following concerns were expressed by many attending: safety issues based on the limited width of the two open lanes, concerns that the street could not be plowed safely or effectively given the width, concerns about pedestrians trying to cross the street or catch a bus from the centre median, larger vehicles attempting to turn safely at the two ends of the street, lack of other feasible uses for the closed lanes City staff were intending to provide time for individuals to complete a survey and review materials, available on Shape Your City. Given the clear, overwhelming consensus from community members and several Council Members after the meeting, staff are returning with an expedited recommendation. With winter upon us the window for reversing the existing lane closure is closing rapidly, and delays to support further feedback will mean this work would have to be postponed until spring 2025. STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT How well the different options presented at the November 27 consultation align with different city policies and strategies are summarized in the attached information. SERVICE AND FINANCIAL OUTCOMES The estimated cost to resurface the two remaining lanes is between $200,000 - $325,000 depending on the exact scope of work. The approximate costs of the other options discussed at the feedback session are presented in the attached materials. INPUT FROM OTHER SERVICE AREAS AND STAKEHOLDERS In addition to the community input provided at the November 27, 2024 session detailed previously in this report, the following additional city departments contributed to the materials attached to this report: Utilities & Infrastructure Growth & Community Services Communications - 4 - ATTACHMENT Њ͵ aε/ ЋЉЋЌΏЋЍЏ IĻğƷŷĻƩ ‘ğǤ wĻƭǒƩŅğĭźƓŭΉwĻĭƚƓƭƷƩǒĭƷźƚƓ 2. ağƷĻƩźğƌƭ ƦƩĻƭĻƓƷĻķ ğƷ ƷŷĻ bƚǝĻƒĬĻƩ ЋАͲ ЋЉЋЍ ĭƚƒƒǒƓźƷǤ ĭƚƓƭǒƌƷğƷźƚƓ ƭĻƭƭźƚƓ /h…b/L\[w9thw M&C No.2023-246 Report DateNovember 08, 2023 Meeting DateNovember 14, 2023 Service AreaPublic Works & Transportation HerWorship Mayor Donna ReardonandMembers of Common Council SUBJECT: HeatherWay Resurfacing/Reconstruction OPEN OR CLOSED SESSION This matter is to be discussed in open session of Common Council. AUTHORIZATION Primary AuthorCommissioner/Dept.HeadChief Administrative Officer Michael HugenholtzMichaelHugenholtzJ. Brent McGovern RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that Common Council approve the recommendation to resurface Heather Way, and to incorporate separate bike lanes on each side of the centre median as outlined in M&C 2023-246. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Asphalt resurfacing was scheduled for Heather Way in 2021 but was postponed due to questions from Councillors about options for road diets and active transportation opportunities. A variation of this reportwas pulled from the agenda in early 2022 in an attempt to scale back the cost of some of the options presented. Staff are now recommending that resurfacing of both lanes proceed, and that one lane in each direction be repurposed for active transportation. REPORT .ğĭƉŭƩƚǒƓķ Heather Way is a four-lane roadway in East Saint John running between Hickey Road and Grandview Avenue . It is built with two vehicle lanes in each direction separated by a centre medianand a fifth lane in breaks in the median for left- turning traffic(similar to University Avenue). There are residential neighbourhoods to the east and west of this road and is made up predominately of single family homes and townhouses. This differs slightly from the University Avenue corridor in that regard as the latter is part of the Campus-Harbour Connection (designated cycling route) and see a much higher volume of traffic - 2 - including commercial driveways and anchored by the University and Regional Hospital. In 2021 asphalt resurfacing was planned for this street but questions were raised by Councillors when staff presented the list of streets. A number of Councillors questioned the need for the four lanes and asked if there were other alternatives for this space (i.e. a road diet). Consequently, resurfacing of this street was removed from the scope of work to enable staff to look at other options. Based on the measured traffic volumes on Heather Way, a two-lane road has sufficient capacity to offer a good level of service for vehicle traffic. There is a concrete sidewalk on both sides of the street, separated from traffic by a grass median. Our Move SJ Cycling strategy does not identify the need for a cycling route along Heather Way. There are no cycling facilities on either Grandview Avenue or Hickey Road. tǒĬƌźĭ /ƚƓƭǒƌƷğƷźƚƓ City staff held a virtual community meeting on June 30, 2021 to solicit feedback from the local residents on potential options for re-imaging this street. Only five community members participated in the meeting. The virtual meeting was also community members providing feedback via e-mail. The meeting included a presentation by City staff where context and a series of potential options for discussion and feedback. During the community meeting there was no consensus on what, if any changes, should occur for Heather Way. There were suggestions related to closing a portion of the street temporarily for community events. Some concerns were expressed with reducing space for vehicle traffic during limited times where major work is scheduled at the near by Irving Oil refinery. Some comments related to improving Active Transportation beyond Heather Way were provided. Similarly, there was no consensus on a single approach among the 23 written e- mail responses. There were some who did appear to consolidate on the idea of buffered bike lanes if an option were chosen to add cycling facilities. However, there were others who commented that spaces should be maintained as is for motorists with some indications that improved pedestrian crossings, as opposed to cycling facilities, should be the focus. It appeared some respondents may have had a stronger opinion that cycling infrastructure should be added if it connected to a broader cycling route, which it does not. - 3 - In summary, there was not a general consensus from feedback provided at the meeting or in follow-up correspondence on what, if any changes to Heather Way, should be implemented. hƦƷźƚƓƭ /ƚƓƭźķĻƩĻķ Status Quo: this would see the road resurfaced and all lanes remain dedicated to vehicle traffic. The cost to resurface all four lanes would be approximately $630,000 based on updated pricing. It is anticipated that this would be a recurring cost every 15-20 years. Addition of Bike Lanes: this option would see the full road resurfaced and one lane in each direction designated as a buffered bike lane. This would be similar to the approach taken on University Avenue but without the delineators or removable bollards. There would be some modest costs associated with installing signage and the annual painting of bike symbols. The presence of bike lanes will also have a traffic calming effect by reducing vehicle lanes from two to one in each direction. One Side of Road: this option would see all vehicle traffic moved to one side of the existing median, with the other side being turned into greenspace. The scope of work would include: Removal of existing asphalt, curbs, and catch basins on one side of the median Adjust manholes, valve boxes and other structures to new elevation Place new topsoil and hydroseed Adjust catchbasin locations, construct new curb at location of cross streets This option would require a one-time investment of $1.3 million. This is reflective of the high tender prices received in recent construction tenders. There would be savings from having to resurface the asphalt on two lanes: approximately $315,000 every 15-20 years. Assuming that basic mowing would be demanded by the neighbhourhood, an ğƦƦƩƚǣźƒğƷĻƌǤ equivalent amount would have to be spent on maintenance of the additional greenspace. This option would make sense if reconstruction is required based on asset management (this is typically after several cycles of resurfacing). We do not anticipate the need for full reconstruction for another 50 years or so. Proceeding with reconstruction at this time would mean disposal of assets that would otherwise have lots of remaining service life. It would also change the amount of discretionary capital that would otherwise be available to support parks or active transportation investments that are aligned with our strategic plans (i.e. Play SJ, Move SJ) and our ten-year capital plan. Although cycling lanes are not specifically called for along this stretch of roadway, Council has clearly been supportive of more investments into active - 4 - transportation options. In this case the addition of buffered bike lanes can enable active transportation along this route at a very modest cost. Consolidation of vehicle traffic from two lanes to one in each direction may offer some measure of traffic calming along this route while still accommodating the current levels of traffic. Maintaining the centre median and associated left turns lanes will assure a good level of service. STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT This report best aligns with Common Council priority of: aƚǝĻ by enhancing active transportation options SERVICE AND FINANCIAL OUTCOMES The resurfacing of Heather Way will be done as part of our annual street resurfacing program which is jointly funded through our 2024 General Capital Budget and the 2024 General Operating Budget. The changes to the line painting and signage required for the cycling lanes can be accomplished through regular operations. INPUT FROM OTHER SERVICE AREAS AND STAKEHOLDERS A summary of the public consultation results have been included above. Staff from DƩƚǞƷŷ ε /ƚƒƒǒƓźƷǤ {ĻƩǝźĭĻƭ were consulted as part of this work and are in support of the recommendations.