John Dance
(OOE) residents will be invited to an in-person public information session on the second year of construction associated with the Greenfield/Main/Hawthorne project, which entails rebuilding the infrastructure in much of the northern part of OOE.
A public open house on the massive three-year project is planned for 7:00-9:00 p.m., February 20 at Saint Paul University, 223 Main Street. Project drawings will be on display and staff will be present to answer any questions and receive comments, including any detailed property-specific questions. There will be a short presentation at 7:30 p.m. In addition, the City is providing an “online engagement opportunity” beginning February 12, with a question/comment period which will remain open until March 5, 2024.
“Preconstruction inspections are planned to begin soon for homes that were not impacted in 2023,” the City’s website notes. Affected residents on Main Street, Greenfield Avenue, Concord Street and Montcalm Street should already have received delivered notices.
Substantial progress was made during the first year of the Greenfield/Main/Hawthorne project. Image by City of Ottawa
While most construction activity has ended, “[s]ome activity is expected over winter, including the installation of a retaining wall on Greenfield Avenue under the Nicholas Street bridge, installation of a deep storm sewer maintenance hole on Main Street, and some anticipated tree removal in advance of construction,” says Bruce Kenny, the City’s manager of design and construction. “Major construction is expected to start in April with the set-up of temporary water in advance of the major underground work.”
Major work areas are expected to include: final roadway and landscaping reinstatement for areas completed in 2023; Hawthorne Avenue electrical duct installation as part of the overhead to underground hydro conversion; and sewer and watermain work on Greenfield Avenue (Main to Old Greenfield), Main Street (Harvey to Greenfield), Concord Street North (full length), and Montcalm Street (full length).”
A decision still has not been made on whether there will be a protective bollard at the southwest corner of Main and Hawthorne, a feature sought by community members to provide pedestrians additional safety at the dangerous, constrained corner. “The positioning of underground utilities, above-ground traffic poles, and requirements for snow removal equipment may impact the ability to install an additional bollard while still maintaining minimum clear width distances,” says Kenny.
But a decision has been made on another feature of the new design. With the creation of a multi-use pathway along the east side of Echo Drive/Colonel By Drive (CBD) between Hawthorne and Graham, the City engineers have eliminated the cyclist left-turn pocket from CBD to eastbound Graham.
“Through the design process, a safety review was completed on this location, and it was identified as a high safety risk,” says Kenny. “Following the risk assessment, the safety consultant’s recommendation was to remove this movement and improve the cycling connectivity at the Hawthorne and Colonel By intersection.” Also, the no left-turn sign at the CBD-Graham intersection will not provide a cyclist exemption.
