Woodlawn Road sidewalks on council’s agenda tonight

Sidewalks for sections of Wood lawn Road between Clare Avenue and South Pelham could cost Welland between $100,000 and $160,000, says a staff report coming to city council tonight.

The report is to be received for information and asks council to direct staff to include the proposed sidewalks as a decision unit in the 2018 municipal budget.

In late August, a motion was passed directing staff to work with Niagara Region to develop a report on installing sidewalks on the regional road.

The report says city engineering staff looked at three sections of the road and prepared construction costs and a rational for which sections could be constructed.

The first section to be considered would be on the south side of Woodlawn between Clare Avenue and South Pelham Road. The 375metre length would cost $100,000 to build.

“This section of Woodlawn is currently a rural cross-section with stone shoulders and roadside ditches. A reconstruction must be completed if it is desired to upgrade this section of road to an urban cross-section similar to Woodlawn Road east of Rice Road. This reconstruction is not currently part of the regional 10-year capital plan,” the report says.

Staff recommends installing the sidewalk behind the roadside ditches, which would require relocation of various services, the removal of trees and cutting of driveways.

The report says similar issues would be faced on the north side of Woodlawn between Clare and South Pelham. It would cost $100,000 for 395 metres of sidewalk on the north side. It says Woodlawn, from Clare to Rice Road, on the north side, would cost $160,000 to do 690 metres of sidewalk, but that it would increase the level of service in the area, as it would the other two locations.