City council has agreed to provide $174,000 to the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) for the construction of a multi-use trail for pedestrians and cyclists on both sides of Coldwater Road.
The trail is now part of extensive work planned in the Coldwater Road/Highway 11 area, which is set to begin in 2024 and includes the following:
- Replacement of the Highway 12/Coldwater Road bridge;
- Reconstruction of highway interchanges;
- Widening the Highway 12/Coldwater Road to two westbound lanes and three eastbound lands;
- Reconstructing various intersections;
- Reconstruction of two multi-use trails on the north and south side of Highway 12/Coldwater Road;
- Construction of a new carpool parking lot in the northeast quadrant of the Highway 11/12 (Coldwater Road) interchange;
- Upgrades to existing illumination; and
- Installation of two noise attenuation walls
The work is set to be carried out between the Highway 11 'ramp terminal' to West Ridge Boulevard/Murphy Road and feature three-metre wide trails on either side of Coldwater Road and one crossing the bridge along the south side.
In 2022, MTO requested the city fund the construction of both the north and south multi-use trails along Coldwater Road, but city staff have recommended providing funding for only the north side trail.
“The MTO requested that the city pay for the cost to reconstruct both multi-use trails on Coldwater Road from West Ridge Boulevard to Highway 11, (but) staff pushed back with the justification that the city had just finished reconstructing two multi-use trails on Coldwater Road from Highway 11 to West Ridge Boulevard in 2019,” said manager of engineering and transportation, Wes Cyr, at Monday’s council meeting.
The city previously agreed, in 2018, to construct an interim trail until it could acquire lands for a permanent trail.
The city failed to acquire the lands, but MTO incorporated a trail crossing the Highway 12/Coldwater Road bridge, so city staff argued it is appropriate to fund some of the work.
Council authorized city staff to carry out a cost-sharing agreement with MTO. However, the decision is subject to ratification at the next meeting of council.
The project is part of broader work being carried out by the MTO, including the replacement of the West Street/Burnside Line Bridge, to be completed later this year, and construction on the Old Barrie Road/Highway 12/Highway 11 interchange, which is expected to begin in 2026.
