Renfrew Street Recapitalization and New Sidewalk

PROJECT UPDATE - DECEMBER 2021

Construction work is substantially complete with paving work and new sidewalk recently installed. The addition of speed tables has been delayed until 2022 to avoid potential issues with poor asphalt quality during cold weather placement.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The municipality's Advanced Funded 2021/22 capital budget provides for the installation of a new sidewalk on the east side of Renfrew Street from Pleasant Street to Glenview Drive. The work is part of a larger project which includes fully repaving the street, replacement of existing curb with concrete curb and gutter on both sides of the street, watermain renewal (between Pleasant Street and civic 53), and sewer pipe renewal (between Pleasant Street and civic 41). The work is planned for the 2021 construction season.

The sidewalk addition will reduce the existing road width from 9.0m to 7.0m because there is insufficient room to place the sidewalk behind the existing curb without significant impacts to driveways and properties. The street will maintain two-way traffic, however this will result in the removal of some on-street parking.

Municipal staff are also considering the addition of utility pole mounted street lights to improve lighting levels for pedestrians and traffic calming measures to help slow down traffic and improve safety.

CLICK HERE to see a plan view of the proposed changes and a cross section of the street

Context photo of Renfrew Street

There will be two public information sessions to share the design concept and talk about the construction impacts of the proposed work. Due to the physical distancing requirements and gathering limits associated with COVID-19, municipal staff are hosting these information sessions entirely online.

Please join with us at either of the virtual information sessions below to learn about the elements of the project and the proposed sidewalk design.

WHAT: Live Q&A Online Sessions with a short presentation and question period

WHEN: Tuesday, March 30 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. or Wednesday, March 31 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

URL: Tuesday evening session LINK HERE and Wednesday lunchtime session LINK HERE

The public information sessions will share information on project elements that are being considered, such as:

• A new sidewalk on the east side of Renfrew Street from Pleasant Street to Glenview Drive;
• Reducing the existing road width from 9.0m to 7.0m, while maintaining two-way traffic;
• Changes to on-street parking. In general, parking is expected to remain next to the new sidewalk on the east side of the street and be removed on the west side of street.
• Traffic calming measures;
• Street drainage and lighting improvements; and
• Anticipated construction impacts.

APRIL 6 UPDATE: The two webinar sessions were held successfully last week and a LINK TO THE RECORDING CAN BE FOUND HERE . The online survey/comment box below will remain open until Friday April 9th.

PROJECT BENEFITS

The upcoming work on Renfrew will be beneficial for the following reasons:

• The new sidewalk and additional lighting will enhance safety and accessibility for people walking and rolling, and better connect into Woodside active transportation network;
• The roadway reconstruction will improve aesthetics and drivability, minimize future street maintenance, and extend the life of the street infrastructure;
• The new concrete curb & gutter and the addition of catch basins in selected locations will help improve on-street drainage;
• The street reconstruction provides an opportunity to replace underground sewer and water infrastructure that are in need of renewal;
• Street narrowing and the addition of a speed table will help encourage slower vehicle speeds.

Photos from a similar sidewalk project on Chadwick Street in 2019

SIDEWALK PRIORITIZATION -- WHY RENFREW?

The municipality is working to create more opportunities for mobility that promote physical activity and healthy lifestyles for people of All Ages and Abilities (‘AAA’). Implementing active transportation (AT) infrastructure has the potential to significantly increase non-auto modes of transportation (i.e. reduce trips made by vehicle). HRM’s Integrated Mobility Plan (IMP) and Active Transportation Priorities Plan identify the need to enhance and connect walking facilities throughout the region. In order to achieve this goal, the municipality must continue to close gaps in the sidewalk network and improve walkability to help connect residents with key destinations.

The municipality receives numerous requests for new sidewalks each year through calls to 311 or correspondence with the area councillor. Each new sidewalk request is rated using the “new sidewalk assessment tool” to help prioritize which projects to target each year. This rating measures the potential for pedestrian activity, including proximity to schools, daycares, seniors’ homes, parks, trails, shopping, employment, recreation centres, high density residential areas, and public transit (among a list of other evaluation criteria).

There are currently over 600 locations rated on our list of requested sidewalks, of which we can typically build 5-10 projects each year. We are installing them as fast as we can based on funding availability and project integration opportunities (e.g. road repaving projects).

Renfrew Street rates ‘High’ for new sidewalk due to its residential density and proximity to:

• NSCC Ivany Campus
• North Woodside Community Centre
• Dartmouth South Academy
• Dartmouth Harbourfront Greenway
• Dartmouth General Hospital
• Early Childhood Learning Centre
• Commercial area on Pleasant Street
• Multiple Playgrounds and Sport Courts
• Nearby Transit and Ferry Service

There are also safety concerns for pedestrian visibility on the steep street slopes, blind crests, and the sharp curve near Pleasant Street.

A great opportunity to integrate this new sidewalk construction with a road repaving project has presented itself for 2021. By providing new sidewalk on Renfrew Street, the Municipality will be making it easier and safer for neighbourhood residents to choose walking as a means of transportation.

CHALLENGES

There are several challenges with installing a new sidewalk within the current right-of-way (ROW) limits on Renfrew Street. There is limited driveway space behind the existing curb and HRM does not intend to take away driveway space to complete the work. In addition, there are often steep slopes on either side of the ROW which makes it challenging to add new sidewalk behind the existing curb without significant expense, need for new retaining walls, and/or property impacts. In order to maintain current driveway access and minimize property impacts, the travel-way must be narrowed from 9.0m to about 7.0m. This creates room for an abutting 2.1m sidewalk on the east side of the road while maintaining existing driveways.

Currently parking is provided on both sides of Renfrew Street. To make room for the new sidewalk, parking will be removed on the west side of Renfrew Street and parking adjacent to the proposed sidewalk on the east side will remain in most locations. This should allow those parking next to the sidewalk to have a safe area for passengers to unload and connect to the pedestrian network. A preliminary review indicates approximately 38% of the current on-street parking will be removed and it’s expected the remaining on-street parking can be accommodated on one side of the street or within the adjacent streets.

TRAFFIC CALMING

HRM staff have recently measured traffic speed data in the Chadwick Street / Renfrew Street area and have identified these streets as good candidates for implementation of traffic calming measures. This is in line with the Council approved Traffic Calming Administrative Order which focuses on making neighbourhood streets safer for non-drivers by slowing down traffic. After a review of the data and other features of the roadway, speed tables have been selected as the appropriate traffic calming measure on Chadwick Street and Renfrew Street as they encourage slower speeds of travel by causing discomfort for drivers travelling at higher speeds. These will have no effect on resident access or on-street parking.

See below for a view of the proposed speed table locations and for a view of a speed hump in Halifax. Speed tables are very similar to speed humps, except they are extended with a 3m (10 ft.) long flat top and are more easily traversed by emergency vehicles. For more information regarding traffic calming in HRM, please visit www.halifax.ca/transportation/streets-sidewalks/traffic-calming-safer-streets .

Proposed speed table locations on Chadwick and Renfrew streets

Example of a speed hump recently installed on Allan Street (Halifax)

HALIFAX WATER WORK

During the re-surfacing of the roadway and the installation of the new sidewalk, Halifax Water intends to replace segments of existing watermain and sewer pipe within the right-of-way. It is expected that most of the roadway will be up-rooted during construction and temporary water will be connected for all residents impacted. The watermain replacement limits run between Pleasant Street and civic 53 and the sewer main replacement limits span between Pleasant Street and civic 41. Halifax Water will provide further information to any impacted residents over the coming months.

For additional information about this project, please contact Phil Nickerson (Project Manager) using the phone and email listed in the side bar on the right -->