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Rockcliffe
park newsletter
July
2003
NEWS FROM CITY HALL
Birch Avenue Rehabilitation
It is expected that this project would start this fall and be
largely completed before freeze-up. There have been two public
consultation meetings to explain the constraints and necessities
related to the project as well as to receive comments from
residents on Birch and the surrounding community. Briefly,
infrastructure under the roadway, as well as the road surface
itself, required rehabilitation. It was initially proposed that
the road width remain as it is (9.5 metres). One aspect, which has
generated some controversy, was the City’s policy of requiring a
sidewalk (standard width 2.0 metres) on collectors that are also
bus routes. It was determined that, for technical reasons, the
least disruptive location for the sidewalk was the west side of
Birch. After much discussion with the community, I offered to try
to develop a proposal which it was hoped would be viewed as fair
and equitable to both sides of Birch while meeting the minimum
standards to which staff are obliged to follow in road design. The
proposal was for a 1.65 metre concrete sidewalk, adjacent to the
roadway on the west side and a reduced road width of 9.0 metres.
The proposal was being submitted to residents as this was being
written. Options for lighting the roadway have been set aside for
further discussions with the community, as they did not have the
potential of delaying the works.
Acacia Avenue Rehabilitation
Acacia, between Beechwood and Maple, had been scheduled for a
major rehabilitation this year. The difficulty of designing the
works in this corridor, with very tight constraints, has resulted
in a delay of one year for its implementation. The design which
was developed was presented to the community at a meeting in the
Lindenlea Community Centre during the evening of June 16th. The
design proposed maintaining the existing roadway width of 8.0
metres and completing the sidewalk network on the west side from
Beechwood to Maple. The width of the sidewalk was set at a
non-standard 1.5 metres due to the nature of this corridor. A few
retaining walls on the west side will have to be moved back
slightly. These will be fully reinstated at the same or at an
enhanced standard (homeowner’s discretion) in all cases. Staff
have worked very hard to arrive at a proposal which minimized
disruption to the existing appearance which property owners have
strived to create over the years. The design appeared to have
succeeded in receiving general acceptance. The suggestion of
connecting the new sidewalk on Acacia with the existing sidewalk
along Rideau Terrace at Lambton is being examined by city staff.
I take the opportunity to wish everyone a pleasant summer season.
Councillor Jacques Legendre
I can be contacted by telephone at 580-2483, by fax at 580-2523 or
by email at
Jacques.Legendre@ottawa.ca
Visit your web site at
www.rideau-rockcliffe.com
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