Halton Terrace sidewalk and traffic calming

Project description

The City of Ottawa intends to design and construct traffic calming measures and a new sidewalk along Halton Terrace. The project has completed the design phase and will go to construction spring/summer 2023.   

Project timing

Design: completed
Construction start: spring/summer 2023
Substantial completion: November 2023
Construction completion: fall 2023

Project budget

Project estimates are $320,000 for the traffic calming portion and $900,000 for the sidewalk implementation.

Accessibility

Accessibility is an important consideration for the City of Ottawa. The City makes every effort to provide access through and around construction sites. If you require a disability-related accommodation, please contact the project team listed below. Accessible formats and communication supports are available, upon request.

Safety

The City of Ottawa is committed to safety in and around project sites. The project team continues to work closely with the industry and to comply with recommendations provided by municipal, provincial and federal health officials, as well as the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.

For any emergency outside normal working hours, please call the City at 3-1-1.  
For general project information, please contact the City’s Project Manager. 
For construction related questions or concerns, please contact the Contractor Representative.

City Project Manager
Frédéric Lacasse, P.Eng,
Project Manager
Infrastructure Services
Design and Construction - Municipal
100 Constellation Drive, Ottawa, ON K2G 6J8
Tel.: 613-227-1459

City On-Site Representative
Todd Penfound 
Site Inspector
Novatech
Tel: 613-277-3273

Contract Administrator
Mike McBride, EIT
Novatech 
Tel:  613-254-9643, ext. 278

Contractor Representative
Éric Courchaine
Project Manager
Brenning Ltd
Tel: 613-884-5092

In mid-April 2023, the City of Ottawa will begin installation of traffic calming measures and a sidewalk in your neighborhood.

What:

Traffic calming on Halton Terrace: the work includes the installation of speed cushions between Whernside Terrace and Dunollie Crescent near the Jack Donahue Public School 

Sidewalks on Halton Terrace: the work includes the installation of a new 2.0m wide concrete sidewalk with a 1.5m boulevard located behind the existing curb along the south side of Halton Terrace Newcastle Avenue to Flamborough Way. The new sidewalk is approximately 400m in length.

Pedestrian Crossing Signals on Halton Terrace: Three PXOs will be installed, one each at Brady, Penrith, and Goward intersections respectively. 

Why: This work is required to improve mobility and safety for pedestrians.

When: This work is scheduled to begin in April 2023 and is scheduled to be completed by end of August 2023.

Where:

• Halton Terrace (traffic calming) between Dunollie Crescent and Whernside Terrace.
• Halton Terrace (sidewalk) between Newcastle Avenue and Flamborough Way.

Who: The City of Ottawa has retained the contractor, Brenning Ltd, to complete the work.

Traffic management

To accommodate the proposed construction, temporary lane reductions will be required on Halton Terrace. Access to private properties including pedestrian and cycling access, will be maintained throughout the construction period unless otherwise communicated.

On-street parking and local access

As the various road reconstruction activities are in progress, on-street parking will be restricted. Local access will be maintained to residents, schools, parks and emergency vehicles. 

The Contractor is required to ensure that homeowners have access to their property. In the event that access to your driveway is restricted for a short period due to construction activities, you will be contacted in advance by the project team and given a temporary On-Street Parking Permit that will allow on-street parking within two blocks of your residence when these disruptions occur.

Contractor responsibility

As part of this Contract, the Contractor is assuming full responsibility for the construction work until it is entirely complete as well as any damages to private property resulting from these construction activities. In the event of such occurrences, all claims for damages should be immediately reported both verbally and in writing to the Contractor and to the City on-site Representative. This will ensure prompt notification of appropriate authorities to complete the claim investigations.

Construction disruptions

The Contractor will take every precaution to minimize interruptions to the everyday life of your family and/or operation of your business, but, as you can appreciate, there may be some inconvenience during the course of the work, such as traffic delays, noise and dust. You may also feel vibrations due to heavy equipment operations. Vibrations from construction activities are quite common and rarely cause any problems. We would like to thank you for your patience and co-operation. For construction activity hours of work, the City of Ottawa follows provincial requirements and the City’s Noise By-law (2017-255). 

The City of Ottawa has completed a traffic calming study for Halton Terrace in the vicinity of Jack Donohue Public School (between Whernside Terrace and Dunollie Crescent). This study was initiated as part of the Traffic Calming in School Areas initiative of the City’s Road Safety Action Plan (RSAP). This project is currently in the implementation phase, which includes detailed design followed by construction.

The purpose of this project is to reduce the negative impacts of motorized traffic and promote safety of students. 

Halton Terrace Traffic Calming study area

Traffic calming is the combination of mainly physical measures that help to reduce the negative effects of motor vehicle use, alter driver behaviour, and improve conditions for non-motorized street users. Traffic calming studies recommend localized retrofits to the roadway to address traffic concerns as opposed to a complete reconstruction of the street. More information about the types of traffic calming suitable for City streets.

Public consultation and final recommendations

Virtual public meeting

Councillor Sudds’ office hosted a virtual public meeting about this study through Zoom on June 2, 2021. The slides that were presented at the meeting are available at the link below.

Virtual Public Meeting Slides [ PDF 3.436 MB ]

Community Feedback

An online survey was conducted between May 17 and June 21, 2021. The survey results indicated that most respondents supported the Preferred Option (described below). The complete results of the online survey have been summarized in an As We Heard It report, which is provided below.

As We Heard It Report [ PDF 445 KB ]

Final functional designs

Based on traffic data, coordination with various stakeholders, public feedback and other project constraints, City staff reviewed two possible traffic calming concepts. Following this review, the Preferred Option (shown below) has been recommended.

Preferred option 

Full drawing [ PDF 1.714 MB ]

This design includes:

• 4 Sets of speed cushions (raised areas similar to speed humps, but not covering the entire width of the road, which are designed to allow large vehicles like buses to ‘straddle’ them)
• 2 Type ‘B’ Pedestrian Crossovers (PXOs) (designated areas that allow pedestrians to safely cross the street, where vehicles must yield to pedestrians when crossing)

Edge line in front of the school

The City of Ottawa is proposing to construct a new section of 2.0m wide sidewalk on Halton Terrace from Newcastle Avenue to Flamborough Way as part of the Ottawa Pedestrian Projects program. This new section of sidewalk will be approximately 440m long. A pedestrian crossing (PXO) at Julie Payette Public Elementary School is also under consideration.

This project is a Phase 1 project from the Council-approved 2013 Ottawa Pedestrian Plan. As a collector road, Halton Terrace should have a pedestrian facility on both sides of the roadway, according to current City policies. The provision of a sidewalk on both sides aligns with the City’s transportation goals and objectives to maximize walkability.

The project will provide greater walkability in this residential area facilitating access to Julie Payette Public Elementary School and Jack Donohue Public School as well as parks nearby including Klondike Road Park, W.C. Bowes Park and Morgan’s Grant Woods Park. The new sidewalk would also improve accessibility to the bus stop located on Halton Terrace 30m east of Brady Avenue as well as the multi-use pathway connecting Halton Terrace to Beamish Cres. The land use along the south side of Halton Terrace is generally single-family residences. Providing a sidewalk on the south side of Halton Terrace will support pedestrians, including more vulnerable users such as: children and families, the elderly, wheelchair users and persons with vision impairments. Tactile walking surface indicators (TWSI) will be installed at pedestrian crossings where possible.

The proposed sidewalk will be installed within the City’s right-of-way. The need for any additional right-of-way to accommodate the sidewalk will be identified during the study. Landscaping and other features within the right-of-way may be impacted during construction. Please see the drawing below for the extent of the study area.

Additional information and a short survey regarding this project can be found by clicking on the following links:

Display boards [ PDF 1.783 MB ]

Project update: December 24, 2020

The “As we heard it” for the Halton Terrace Proposed Sidewalk Project (Newcastle Avenue to Flamborough Way – south).

The report includes a summary of the online public survey results, public comments during the live virtual open house and individual public comments received by email.

Based on the results of the “As we heard it” report and the City’s policy for sidewalks, the projected timeline for this project is detail design in 2021 and construction in 2022.

The project is currently in preliminary design with construction to begin early fall of 2022.

Preliminary drawings [ 5.53 MB ]
This document is available in English only. It may be translated in whole or in part upon request. For more information, please contact Frédéric Lacasse at 613-227-1459.

A list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) follows to address common inquiries from residents.

Frequently asked questions

What is the project status and schedule?

The sidewalk design is in progress and will be completed this summer, 2022. It will be submitted for tender also summer, 2022. It is anticipated that a contractor will be selected to perform the construction of the sidewalk starting early fall 2022.

What is the planned design?

A new 2.0m sidewalk will be constructed with a 1.5m wide grass boulevard between sidewalk and curb to allow for snow storage. Where there is conflict between the sidewalk and other infrastructure, widths may vary to accommodate.

Will my property be affected?

All proposed works are on City owned right of way.

How will my driveway be affected?

Driveways will be saw cut to allow the installation of the sidewalk. The paved sections adjacent to the sidewalk will be repaved between the proposed sidewalk and the road as well as a strip of approximately 1m towards the house. Based on the current design, all driveways will have a length of at least 7m and will retain sufficient space to park at least one passenger vehicle in their driveway.

What about trees affected by the work?

Trees affected by the work have been identified and, wherever possible, measures will be put in place to mitigate any damage to their roots in accordance with City of Ottawa Forestry Department requirements.

Will other utilities (Rogers, Bell, Hydro Ottawa, Enbridge) be affected by this work?

The depth of the sidewalk is planned to be higher than the depth at which these utilities are located. It is anticipated that there will be no interruptions in these services during the construction of this proposed sidewalk.