SJAM/Byron LRT Working Group Meeting, June 11 - A Recap

As Stage 2 LRT construction slowly begins, we have reassembled two working groups to address resident’s issues. Our office has also committed to publishing summaries of each meeting so the wider community is up to speed on the project as it continues.

Throughout the Stage 2 planning period the Cleary Working Group was very active and had a constructive role to play in the design and location of the LRT station. Through the construction period, this group has been rebranded as the SJAM/Byron Working Group, covering the area from just west of Dominion Station through to Cleary Station.

Despite the fact we are very early in the Stage 2 construction process and there is little news to share with residents an SJAM/Byron Working Group meeting was called for June 11 to give members a chance to ask some questions directly to staff. These questions will be answered either via email over the summer or possibly at another meeting to be held in the fall.

Attendance:

Sybil Powell – McKellar Park Community Association

Rob McCrae – Bike Ottawa

Pam Garner – 727 Richmond

Carmen Baggaley – 727 Richmond

Carol Kardish – 75 Cleary

Chuck Davies – 75 Cleary

Annie Goodchild – LRT Stage 2 Stakeholder Relations

Jacelyn Daigle – construction team

Carlie Robb-Jackson – Bay ward resident on Sherbourne

Tricia Ross – Carlingwood CA

Jack D’Andrea – construction manager Stage 2 (consultant)

Damon Berlin – LRT Stage 2 Stakeholder Relations

Tom Pechloff – Councillor’s Assistant

Councillor Jeff Leiper opened the meeting with a brief overview of the history of the working group. He welcomed the new members and welcomed back the veterans of the Cleary Working Group. He mentioned the fact that we will blog recaps of the meetings on kitchissippiward.ca but strongly recommended the members of the group share all information with the membership of their respective organizations.

He then handed things over to Damon Berlin who had a brief presentation (attached to this post) prepared for the group. Berlin started by mentioning again how early we are in the process and that there is not a whole lot to share yet. As such, all the renderings and schedules mentioned in his presentation were still subject to change.

Berlin mentioned that to date, staff’s experiences with East West Connectors, the winning consortium for Stage 2 from Trim to Moody, have been positive.

Berlin gave a brief history of the various alignments for Cleary Station that had been considered and reiterated that even though the new alignment sees the station in the linear park, the drop-off locations have not changed.

Now that the station will be an open air station, there will be no need for a fan plant. The former Cleary Working Group was adamantly opposed to the fan plant because of the noise and it’s location in NCC greenspace.

The station will be fully accessible, but we don’t know the exact details of that yet. Berlin said that while elevators were not prescriptive in the contract, due to the space where the station will go, he thought it likely elevators would be present as there’s likely not enough room for a ramp.

Berlin said a sidewalk will provide east/west connectivity throughout the construction period and there will be 20 bike parking spots. He noted in Stage 1 more bike parking was provided than the contract required.

Berlin discussed the final SJAM alignment which will feature curves to dissuade speeding. He said the alignment will change and evolve throughout the construction period.

He said there will be an open trench during construction, only closed as the work crosses roadways.

Berlin also provided what he called a “very high-level” schedule, which has yet to be approved, but can give residents a general sense of a timeline, with all dates referring to the beginning of work:

• Tree removals Summer 2019 (underway)
• Borehole work Spring/Summer 2019 (why you see cones along SJAM Parkway)
• Utility relocation Summer 2019
• SJAMP realignment 2019
• Rochester Field site mobilization 2019, (parking)
• Parkway Tunnel Construction 2020
• Bus Detour Construction 2021
• Cleary Station Construction 2022
• Dominion Station Construction 2022

 

Berlin said the bus detour along Scott Street from Tunney’s through the Churchill extension to the SJAM Parkway will start in 2022 and run until Stage 2 revenue service. Once Stage 2 opens, there will be no more buses on the parkway, down from the current 450,000 trips a year.

He said the Stage 2 Stakeholder Relations team will have a dedicated local community liaison who will provide rapid response to correspondence and communicate on anticipated work, using social media and the website to communicate station-specific and area specific information.

Stephanie McNeely added the intent is to come out in the fall with more specifics – detours, traffic plans, impact due to tunneling – hoping to package that through Public Information Sessions.

 

There were a number of questions throughout the presentation, summarized below:

 

Jeff Leiper: Do we assume EWC is subtracting to other companies?

Damon Berlin: Will likely use Ottawa subcontractors again

Jack D’Andrea: WSP are lead designers

 

Jeff Leiper: Asked for more information about the project agreement.

Damon Berlin: The PSOS (Project Specific Output Specifications) directed the consortium’s winning bid. The project agreement has 35 different schedules on a wide range of issues.

Stephanie McNeely: The City hired engineers for a reference design which made up about 30% of the design. This is what the various bidders were working with, costing it with same land envelope. That’s the competitive advantage of a P3 – the bidders have to decide how to do it based on the reference design. Now we’re seeing the rest of the design.

 

Rob McCrae: Is contract language about bike connectivity public?

Jeff Leiper: Still some competitively sensitive information there, but if you ask, I can advocate for you getting it. There is more robust language than in the Stage 1 contract.

Stephanie McNeely: Lessons learned from Stage 1 prompted many more connectivity studies for Stage 2.

 

Chuck Davies: Will the trench be dug in stages or open all at once. It will reduce impact on communities if they do it in stages. Will we know how they are planning on doing this before there are holes in the ground?

Damon Berlin: We’ll get that information. The official schedule has not yet been approved by the city.

 

Pam Garner: What will our access to the river be like?

Damon Berlin: There are existing cowpaths/desire lines. When the trench is open, we will not be able to cross parkway to river. It won’t all be closed at all times. We must respect construction signage for our own safety. Access will change throughout construction.

Jeff Leiper: Suggests leaving access gaps whenever possible.

 

Rob McCrae: Asks how construction will affect the SJAM MUPs.

Damom Berlin: The southside MUP from Cleary to Dominion will be closed due to proximity to the construction site.

 

Sybill Powell: Will the SJAM realignment bring it closer to property lines?

Jeff Leiper: We need to get answers from the NCC. If they are bringing road closer, that may or may not be an issue but we should get on the NCC about that and I would love to have a city be an ally on this. Of particular interest is the Westminster curve to Skead. Get your residents to write to me.

 

Jeff Leiper: What are the truck routes? How are they getting in and our of our ward? How will this affect Sunday Bike Days?

Damon Berlin: We’ll find out.

 

Jeff Leiper: Do we have a sense of how late digging will go in the day (noise concerns)?

Damon Berlin: Anything that affects rush hour would be done at night, but since that is more expensive, contractor will avoid that as much as they can.

Jack D’Andrea: Most of the open-cut should not be done at night as it needs too many lights, it’s too complicated, and generally not safe to do.

Jacelyn Daigle: Soil receptor sites aren’t open at night, so I can’t see why they would work past 10. Most tree work so far has ended by 5. Just because they can work until 10 doesn’t mean they will.

Jeff Leiper: Would like more details as soon as possible.

 

Pam Garner: When will we find out when the hoarding will go around 727 Richmond?

Damon Berlin: We’ll find out.

 

Chuck Davies: For 75 Cleary, we’d like construction details concerning where it will come closest to building. We would like reassurance on some technical terms – and that the work will not disrupt soil around the building. Stability must be maintained throughout construction. Comfort level will be much higher when we can have those discussions.

Pam Garner: Us too. (727 Richmond)

Damon Berlin: We’ll find out.

 

Carlie Robb-Jackson: What are the hours of operation of bike parking? Is it covered? Has security/safety concerns.

Damon Berlin: It’s a CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) plan, with cameras and call boxes. I’ll have to check whether covered bike spaces are prescriptive in the contract.

 

Jeff Leiper: How does station open and close?

Damon Berlin: All done automatically.

Jeff Leiper: Are there penalties if it doesn’t work?

Damon Berlin: Yes

 

Carlie Robb-Jackson: Are there washrooms at Cleary Station?

Damon Berlin: No

 

Tricia Ross: Will constables be there for all open hours

Damon Berlin: No, but they will be dispatched if/when necessary

 

Jeff Leiper: Where will garbage trucks drive?

Damon Berlin: We’ll find out.

 

Tricia Ross: Could there be increased crime with perpetrators using LRT to get away?

Damon Berlin: It will be heavily camera-ed.

 

Jeff Leiper: Wondered about the volume of announcements.

Damon Berlin: Prescribed through the AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities) Act. But there will be more eyes and ears on Stage 2 as it is cutting through more neighbourhoods than Stage 1 did.

 

Chuck Davies: When will the strip mall be demolished?

Damon Berlin: September of this year.

Chuck Davies: Expect critters so have pest control ready.

Jeff Leiper: Will it be kept tidy between strip mall demolition and LRT construction?

Damon Berlin: It will be secured. More details to come.

 

Rob McCrae: How long will the south side sidewalk be?

Damon Berlin: From Lincoln Fields to Cleary station, width to match city requirements.

Sybill Powell: Requests strip of grass between sidewalk and road

Jeff Leiper: Who would maintain that?

Stephanie McNeely: We’ll find out.

 

Carol Kardish: Will there be crosswalks across Richmond to help pedestrians access the station?

Damon Berlin: We’ll get a fulsome answer.

 

Jeff Leiper/Rob McCrae: We need cycling connectivity throughout construction.

Damon Berlin: We’ll take that back.

Chuck Davies: Let’s include Richmond Road Complete Street plans in future discussions.