Kettleby Road Reconstruction

The Township will be hosting a Public Information Centre for the Kettleby Road Reconstruction project. Residents are invited to drop-in to ask questions, meet project staff, and view some project materials.

Details:

When: Tuesday June 11, 2024 (drop-in anytime between 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM)

Where: King Township Municipal Centre (2585 King Rd, King City) - Main Lobby

Questions/Comments/Concerns can still be summitted anytime on this page under the 'Submit Feedback' tab or to cparks@king.ca

Kettleby Road Reconstruction is expected to start in Summer 2024.

To provide residents an overview of what to expect during construction, the project team will hold a Pre-Construction Public Information Centre 3-4 weeks before the start of construction (exact time and location will be posted on this page and social media channels). The project team will be available to answer questions about how the design will enhance the Kettleby community and a timeline of the activities before/during/after construction. Property owners will be contacted individually in the coming weeks by Township and/or Hydro One representatives if works are required on private property to accommodate the utility pole replacements or road design.

Please refer to the Updated Cross Section Renderings in the Documents section on this page to view the current design. More renderings of other sections will be added shortly.

Staff welcome any resident questions in the meantime and will provide answers within 2 weeks.

As design work continues on this project, please see the updates below:

Updated renderings for road design

Refer to the “Updated Cross Section Renderings” in the Documents section on this page to view the road design at street level (attached to this email)

Impacts to private property

Some work is required on (or close to) private property to accommodate the new road layout. For example: tree trimming, moving hydro poles, driveway grading. Residents will be contacted individually in the coming weeks if there are impacts to their property.

Status of work with external agencies

• Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority – Permit review in progress
• Hydro One – Utility design in progress
• Bell Canada – Awaiting Hydro One utility design to confirm wires can be moved to new poles

Road design updates:

• Photometric assessment forthcoming to confirm streetlights will still illuminate road when poles are moved and will not have excessive light shining into homes.
• Fence style along top of retaining wall at Kettleby Camp (wood boardwalk to be removed)

• Driveways will remain the same width when new curbs are installed
• Replacing sidewalk with asphalt strip for snow storage (see below)

Replacing sidewalk with asphalt strip for snow storage

After considering resident comments and internal discussions with Operations/Engineering staff, the sidewalk has been removed from the design. Instead, a 1.0m asphalt strip will be added. The decision to remove the sidewalk was based on:

• Resident comments to maintain a historic appearance
• Overall constructability – The right-of-way along Kettleby Road is very narrow and adding the AODA-required 1.5m sidewalk would have significant disturbance to properties. It would also add significant disturbance to properties to blend into front yard drainage.
• Limited space for snow plowing – Given the narrow right-of-way and the width of an AODA sidewalk, there is very little buffer space between the road and sidewalk. Snowplows would push snow onto the sidewalk, then sidewalk plows would push the snow back on to the road. Otherwise, more snow would be pushed on to private property.
• Mitigate risk of winter slips/trips/falls – Pushing snow on to the sidewalk will lead to freeze-thaw cycle occurring directly on the sidewalk, increasing risk of pedestrians slipping on ice.
• Effective use of winter maintenance budget – Winter sidewalk snow removal on Kettleby Road is not in our current level of service, if we build a formal sidewalk then we are provincially obligated to clear the snow in winter. It is not financially prudent to provide sidewalk clearing, as provincially obligated, because it is separate from the rest of the sidewalk network.

Construction is expected to start in Summer 2024.

Staff welcome resident questions and will provide answers within 2 weeks from receipt of the question. Further updates and communications regarding construction impacts will be provided closer to the start of construction.

As we continue with the design phase for this project, please see the information below regarding some common areas of concern:

Drainage

The proposed road reconstruction involves drainage improvements to better capture and direct stormwater flows from the roadway to appropriate outlets. The existing stormwater management system in this area includes a mixture of catchbasins/storm sewers and open ditch drainage and much of this infrastructure has deteriorated and itself poses a risk to properties in its current state. The new storm sewer design will replace the existing ‘mixed’ system with new catchbasins and new storm sewer pipes. The depth of the new storm system is similar to the existing storm sewer. The new storm sewer system is also required to be reviewed (and permitted) by the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA), so the construction and discharge comply with all environmental regulations.

The construction will not impact foundations. The design and construction take into account the location of existing foundations and trees and maintain appropriate separation to avoid disturbance to existing surface features. A detailed pre-condition survey will be conducted of the exterior and interior of buildings prior to construction to document the condition of foundations before any work commences. This is a very important step to document the current state of your foundations so that we can ensure there are no impacts from the construction. Prior to construction, please allow the surveyor access to your homes to complete the review. During construction, live vibration monitoring will be installed and monitored. This is to ensure vibration levels remain within safe limits.

Safety

The Township’s standard lane width for local roads is 4.25 metres (i.e. each direction). The current design for Kettleby Road is 3.25 metres lane widths. Although the lane width today is around 3.25 metres, the installation of new curbs will cause the road to appear narrower than it appears currently. This will have an inherent traffic-calming effect as the visual constraint will reduce speeds. Further, no new parking restrictions will be added as part of this project. On-street parking will still be available for residents and visitors. This presence of curbside-parked cars will also have a traffic-calming effect. We will consider additional “SLOW” signage and seasonal bollards along the road. These will be the primary traffic calming measures implemented as a part of this project. After one year following construction, another traffic study can be done to determine the effect these changes have had on traffic patterns and speed through Kettleby. We can then determine whether additional measures are warranted, in-line with our Traffic Calming Policy (www.king.ca/trafficcalming).

Hydro Poles

HydroOne is still in the process of completing their utility relocation design and no formal submissions have been made to the Township for review at this time. Staff from the utility companies have no knowledge of the project scope. When they come to the area, they are tasked with finding several ‘options’ for pole locations. Any plans shown by these representatives are for HydroOne’s internal use only and do not indicate that they will be acceptable to the Township for design for the roadway. We apologize if the utility staff have caused confusion. Township staff will approach residents with a final relocation design, once we have reviewed the options provided by HydroOne. The location of the relocated poles has not been finalized, but the majority of the poles will be replaced in their existing location. The Township will consult directly with any property owner affected by poles that require new locations on the associated impacts. We are working toward a final design with the least amount of disturbance to your properties.

Sidewalk (See February 2024 Update above regarding sidewalk removal)

The area being used by pedestrians today is simply an extension of the shoulder with no defined separation from the road in many spots. Regarding the proposed new sidewalk, the Integrated Accessibility Standards of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (O.Reg. 191/11 of the AODA) states:

80.23 When constructing new or redeveloping existing exterior paths of travel that they intend to maintain, obligated organizations, other than small organizations, shall ensure that new and redeveloped exterior paths of travel meet the following requirements:

1. The exterior path must have a minimum clear width of 1,500 mm, but this clear width can be reduced to 1,200 mm to serve as a turning space where the exterior path connects with a curb ramp.

This is further reinforced by King’s Multi-Year Accessibility Plan that was approved by Council in 2019. The Plan is a requirement of the AODA and serves as the Township’s framework on how we can make King more accessible. There are no exceptions to these requirements.

A minimum 1.5m sidewalk is also within King’s Municipal Design Criteria. This is the minimum width to fit our sidewalk snowplows without the blade damaging grass on front lawns and to fit between when cars are parked at the curb and at the end of driveways. The new sidewalk will allow staff to maintain the walkway (plowing and sanding), so residents have a safe area to walk in the winter.

Although the new sidewalk will be wider, it will actually be further away from the front of adjacent properties (i.e. shifted toward the road). Allowing residents slightly more front yard boulevard area and driveway space. This will be fully communicated and demonstrated when we share our final design drawings with the community later this year.

At the Public Information Centre on December 6, 2022, the Township presented the conceptual design for Kettleby Road and heard your feedback. Over the last 8 months, we have been working on data gathering and incorporating your comments into the next phase of the design. Please note that the design has not been finalized as input from various agencies and Kettleby residents is still required. See below for a brief summary of the project to date:

Completed to date:

• 2019 Public Information Centre
• 2022 Public Information Centre
• Topographic survey
• Existing tree inventory
• Video inspection of storm sewer (to assess current condition)
• Geotechnical investigation (to assess soil and groundwater conditions)
• Cost estimate to bury utilities
• Preliminary design plans

In-progress:

• Utility relocation design (Bell and HydroOne assessing hydro poles)
• Impact assessment of the new road/sidewalk design for each property
• Draft Design Plans
• Design of new pedestrian bridge and retaining wall (across from #400)
• Requests to York Region Police for additional traffic enforcement in the area
• Responding to resident questions, comments and concerns

Upcoming:

• Request for resident input on Draft Design Plans
• Request for resident input on new pedestrian bridge and retaining wall (across from #400)
• Permitting from Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority
• Consultation with Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP)

Important! – Residents may see staff from various utilities/environmental/civil companies in the area. These individuals are NOT aware of the full project details and should not be relied on for information about the Kettleby Road reconstruction. All project information will come from the Township when there are updates to share or resident feedback is requested.

Questions can be submitted anytime using the ‘Submit Feedback’ tab above or sent to cparks@king.ca

Township Staff have received a cost estimate to bury hydro on Kettleby Road within the community. The estimate is between $1,000,000 and $1,300,000 dollars, with a caveat that costs could increase 50%. In addition, land acquisitions (expropriation) would be required for some of the hydro vaults which would lead to significant extra costs. All of these costs would be born by the Township as HydroONE did not express interest in moving forward with buried infrastructure.

It should also be noted that this cost does not include individual resident connections from the public right of way to the homes/structures. These costs are estimated to be between $1,500 and $5,000 per connection.

It is not the practice of the Township to pay for the work of other utilities and given the Township’s limited budget to complete the Kettleby Road Reconstruction Project, it is not recommended to proceed with this work at this time given that the current total approved budget is only $1.8 million over the next three years (2023-2025).

On December 6th, 2022 between 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm, the Township hosted an in-person Public Engagement Session at the Kettleby Anglican Church (292 Kettleby Rd, Kettleby, ON L0G 1J0).

The Public Engagement Session described the project and provided residents with an opportunity to review current design alternatives under consideration, proposed schedules, and to provide feedback to be considered as the design progresses.

Check back for further engagement opportunities.