AN ELGIN STREET ROAD MAP
Should four lanes become two?
Four lanes of Elgin Street would be cut to two lanes, 32 parking spots would be eliminated and the speed limit would be decreased to 30 km/h in a recommended redesign of the commercial and entertainment strip.
A report published ahead of a transportation committee meeting Wednesday says Elgin Street would be closed for 12 months during heavy construction before crews take another 10 months to finish paving and landscaping through the corridor.
The $42-million reconstruction project, which includes Hawthorne Avenue and a small piece of Waverley Street, would begin in 2019.
The cost estimate is preliminary and the budget still needs further scrutiny.
The sewers and water pipes date back to the late 1800s. The city desperately needs to upgrade the infrastructure, which makes it a perfect chance to reconsider the design of the Elgin-Hawthorne corridor between Lisgar and Main streets.
The city put together a working group of residents and businesspeople to make suggestions on the road design.
On top of that, 300 hundred people attended two public meetings and an online survey generated more than 1,000 comments, according to the city.
Under the proposed plan, there would be one lane in each direction between Lisgar Street and Argyle Avenue, plus turning lanes at some intersections.
There are 122 on-street paid parking spots on Elgin Street between Laurier Avenue and Catherine Street available during off-peak hours.
Under the recommended redesign, the number of parking spaces would be cut to 90.
The city would create flexible street spaces along the curbs on Elgin Street that can be used for parking, outdoor patios, bike parking or other programs.
The city only has 18.2 metres to work with across the combined width of the street and sidewalks. There is no room to put bike lanes on the road, the city says, even though staff have been pressured to consider cycling infrastructure.
Today’s narrow sidewalks would be widened to between 2.1 metres and 4.5 metres.
Raised intersections at Lisgar Street, Somerset Street, Gilmour Street and Gladstone Avenue, along with curb “bulb-outs” would reduce vehicle speeds, the report says.
The width of the road lanes would be “designed for single-file vehicle and cycling operation,” the report says. The decrease in speed limit is appropriate for cyclists and motorists sharing the same lane, plus it would increase safety for pedestrians, according to the city.
The report says under the proposed redesign, it would take about one minute longer travelling northbound through the corridor during the peak periods. Travelling southbound would take 1.5 minutes longer in the afternoon and four minutes longer in the morning.
All the sidewalk features, such as benches, trees, lighting and art, would be upgraded.
The hydro lines would not be buried unless the city finds a way to come up with another $10 million for the work.
Waverley Street would get flexible on-street parking spaces.
The 28 street parking spaces on Hawthorne Avenue would be decreased to 14 spaces after the reconstruction.
There would be three lanes between Colonel By Drive and Main Street and a westbound cycle lane protected by flexible posts.
City transportation planners want committee and council to approve the recommended functional design before hammering out a detailed design.