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Public meeting to discuss process expected in early 2018, engineering director says

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Some lead-up work is expected in 2018 for the Rapids Parkway expansion project, designed to eventually connect a northeast Sarnia neighbourhood to Exmouth Street.

Before the connection is made, a new force main is in line to be built under Highway 402, alongside the current Howard Watson Nature Trail, said Mike Berkvens, the city’s director of engineering.

Doing that, along with several pump station upgrades – all part of the $49-million Sarnia Sewer Upgrade Project – will let the city reverse water flow south, Berkvens said.

That and the eventual roadway expansion – tentatively estimated for around 2023 – is to address increasing demand in the Rapids subdivision, he said

A consulting engineer will help figure out the approach and the actual force main work should be done in two to three years, he said.

A water-main extension will also be built in and that’ll be funded through the city’s water budget, he said

Before any of that, the city needs to clear out brush in the area just west of the Home Depot parking lot for a topographical survey, he said. That means figuring out elevations and the needed depths for water mains and sewers, he said.

Home Depot, which owns the land where the force main will pass through, has agreed to an easement to let the work go ahead, he said.

A public meeting is being planned sometime in the first three months of 2018 to let people know details, he said. The date hasn’t been set.

The meeting is to help people be “aware of the steps we’re taking before we start,” Berkvens said.

Meanwhile, the city is waiting on Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation before going ahead with the road extension, he said.

A Highway 402 bridge spanning the nature trail is due for some repairs underneath sometime in the next five years, he said.

There’s no point in building before that work is done, Berkvens said, because the road would be shut down anyway for the work, and potentially damaged.

“We need to work with the MTO on that too, saying ‘How is that going to impact the trail too,’” he said. “Does it shut down the trail when they’re doing their bridge work for pedestrian crossing?”

The extension plan includes moving the Howard Watson Nature Trail west, he said. The new road would go where the trail is now.

The entire project, not including the force main, is expected to cost $2 million, he said. That includes curbs, gutters, drainage, and street lights.

Having the extension should ease congestion and would likely eliminate the need for double-left-turn lanes on Mall Road, where it meets Exmouth Street, he said.

No decisions have been made about putting in a lighted crosswalk where the current trail crosses Exmouth Street, he said.

The project would cost an estimated $50,000 and the trail crossing at Michigan Avenue, and Christina Street by Canatara Park, are also in the running, he said.

“We’ve got only so much budget and what’s the best place to spend our budget; it’s still being reviewed,” Berkvens said.

Plans for the Rapids Parkway extension started when the area known as Development Area One was constructed in the mid-1990s, he said.

About $830,000 for the expansion project has been raised from developers since, he said. The difference would be spent from capital budgets, Berkvens said.

There’s been a mix of anticipation and apprehension from residents, he said.

“This is the importance of the meeting, so people can see the concept of how we’re trying to protect the trail and work with the community and get the public’s input on how we can make this a successful project,” he said.

Meanwhile other new streets in the area are cropping up in the interim, he said, noting one called Lucas was built this year.

“Also there was an extension on Sandpiper (Drive) and Meadowlark (Lane),” he said. “They’re looking to finish off that loop next year too.”

tkula@postmedia.com

 

 

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