City councillors have paved the way for $300,000 in sidewalk work for 2018.
At their recent council meeting, elected officials gave the green light to award the tender to Onsite Contracting Inc. to complete two sidewalk projects.
The approved work includes the construction of a new sidewalk on the south side of Fittons Road from West Street to approximately 205 metres west.
Fittons Road is an arterial roadway with four travel lanes through this section. The city`s Official Plan recommends sidewalks on both sides of arterial roads.
The project also includes the replacement of sidewalk on both sides of Oxford Street from Forest Avenue to Bayview Parkway.
During the design phase, it was determined that additional work will be required on Oxford Street to correct drainage issues affecting driveway accesses and to accommodate grading deficiencies.
According to a staff report, the existing Oxford Street sidewalk is deficient in width throughout, measuring 1.3 metres versus the minimum required width of 1.5 metres.
Staff noted the existing sidewalk is in poor condition with several areas posing possible trip hazards and retaining ponding water. Ponding and pooling water can be hazardous during the winter months with freeze/thaw cycles.
The original budget for this work was $270,000 but council approved increasing that amount to $300,000 due to the unexpected extra work required on Oxford Street. The additional $30,000 will be funded from the roads reserve.
The work will be completed between the hours of 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday. No work will be permitted on Sundays or statutory holidays.
