Level crossing okayed as part of Transitway extension

Despite objections from residents and community associations, the transportation committee has approved the construction of a level crossing at Holly Acres Road as part of the planned western extension of the Transitway to Moodie Drive.

The revamped plans for extending the Transitway from Bayshore Shopping Centre to Moodie were largely driven by a drop in the number of commuters expected to take the bus to the new Department of National Defence site on Moodie Drive. DND has nearly halved the number of employees it expects to house at the former Nortel campus, from 15,000 to about 8,500.

Such a significant drop in the number people who might use the new Transitway extension prompted the city to re-examine its plan, creating a savings of $22 million.

The new plan, which council will consider on July 8, calls for the Transitway to cross Holly Acres Road at a signal-controlled level intersection, similar to the way the bus route crosses Woodroffe Avenue and Pinecrest Road.

It will continue parallel to Highway 417 on the north side of the highway, then enter the 417 at the Moodie Drive interchange. The new plan requires just one bridge, instead of four, and eliminates the need for a stormwater pumping station at Moodie Drive.

Changes to the plan were panned by both the Creekside and Crystal Bay/Lakeview community associations.

Creekside’s president Jennifer Smith told the committee she doesn’t believe the rationale for a bridge over Holly Acres Road has changed, despite the lower numbers projected at DND. She’s also worried about increased noise levels and bus traffic, as well as the location of a proposed bus staging area at Bayshore station.

Smith asked the committee to “take a hard second look at our concerns.”

She also pushed for a commitment that sound barriers will be installed to reduce the noise for residents along Corkstown Road and in Lakeview Park.

Ziad Ghadban, who’s overseeing the project, said the city has reached a draft agreement with the Ministry of Transportation that would see barriers installed along the 417 to the east and west of Holly Acres.

Bay Coun. Mark Taylor accepted the plan for an at-grade crossing, but asked staff to explore the possibility of building the bridge as soon as possible, perhaps as part of the phase two expansion of light rail, which the finance committee approved Monday.

“That’s what the community would like to have,” Taylor said.

Such a project may make sense, Taylor added, if Kanata South Coun. Allan Hubley’s request for staff to explore the feasibility of bringing LRT to Kanata before 2031 gathers steam. Hubley’s motion was approved unanimously by the finance committee and will be considered by council on July 8.

If the proposed level crossing gets the OK from council, and approval from the Ministry of Transportation and the National Capital Commission, work could begin this year and be ready for use by late 2017.