George St. repaving, redesign planned for the summer

A traffic-clogged section of George St. that the city has long wanted to redesign and repave may go under construction in May and be done by August.

The stretch of roadway may also be longer than originally planned: on Monday at City Hall, councillors will consider expanding the project (and the cost).

Last year, the city planned to improve George St. between Lake St. and Hunter St. The plan includes cycling lanes, left turn lanes, traffic signals at Dalhousie St., a landscaped median, two pedestrian refuge islands, street trees and pavement.

A contract was awarded to local firm Coco Paving. The cost was expected to be $1,982,201 (excluding HST).

But on Monday at City Hall, councillors will consider a staff recommendation to expand the repaving of George St. from Lake St. to Townsend St.

A city staff report says this is recommended since the road is in rough shape, and the best time to repave would be either this year or next.

If council approves the plan, it’s going to cost an additional $205,000 - which will bring the total cost of the project, with HST, to $2,471,537.

Also on the general committee agenda on Monday evening:

Emerald ash borer

A new city staff report says that while no city-owned ash trees have been killed yet by emerald ash borer, “the worst is yet to come” in 2018 and 2019.

That’s when citizens are likely to notice “widespread ash tree deaths throughout the city,” the report states.

There are 72,000 ash trees on public and private property in the city, states the report, and the city has had a program to protect them since 2014.

The emerald ash borer management program has involved public education campaigns, bio-insecticide use and insect traps.

Although that’s been successful so far, the program is only funded until 2023.

Cost to run the program from 2014 to 2023 was $3.9 million, states the report; on Monday councillors will consider extending it to 2025, which will bring the total cost to a bit more than $4 million.

Last year the city caught 652 emerald ash borers in 43 traps across the city, states the report. That’s up from five bugs caught in 19 traps in 2014.

Whitefield Dr. traffic study

Although residents have asked for an all-way stop at the intersection of Whitefield Dr. and Golfview Rd., city staff doesn’t recommend it.

Councillors will review a city staff report on Monday that says an all-way stop isn’t justified there.

In February, council received a petition bearing 95 signatures of the neighbours on Whitefield Dr., Golfview Rd. and Silverdale Rd. looking for the all-way stop.

The neighbours wrote that their main concern was the safety of children who board the bus in that location, or go to day-care centre nearby.

But city staff conducted a traffic study, states the report, and found that the vehicle volume, speed and collision history was typical of a local urban road. They say there’s no justification for an all-way stop.

The general committee meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. on Monday at City Hall.