Underpass plan falls short of the mark, says trails advocate

August 7, 2013 · 0 Comments

By Brock Weir

While Councillors could be poised to approve co-funding two pedestrian underpasses on Leslie Street this month, municipal recommendations were met with a mixed review from ardent trails activists.

Speaking to the issue when it was floated once again at Council earlier this month, trails advocate Klaus Wehrenberg said the proposals from the Region and Town Staff fell short of the mark by not including a third underpass just south of St. John’s Sideroad.

Although they are recommending going ahead with underpasses beneath Leslie Street north of St. John’s Sideroad and just north of State Farm Way because a further look at what is actually needed in this area would cost less than initially thought, Mr. Wehrenberg said cost factors for not going ahead with the third option could be equally inflated.

“Their reason is the creek’s culvert in that location will not have to be replaced and hence the substantial decrease in costs that apply where culverts are being replaced is not going to be realisable and the incremental costs would be greater,” said Mr. Wehrenberg. “The cost of constructing this underpass is still estimated at $1.2 million, a cost estimate that still has not been substantiated by showing how it was calculated.

“It was the acknowledgement that the previous cost estimates for the two Leslie Street underpasses that will now go ahead were vastly overstated and that led to them being recommended for construction. The $1.2 million cost estimate for the Wesley Creek underpass that is now not recommended is as unreliable as the other two – it is basically the cost of a standalone project.”

Constructing an underpass while Leslie Street is already being reconstructed – work slated to begin in 2015 – would be more cost-effective in the long-run, he concluded. He argued including the third underpass in the tender for Leslie Street reconstruction at the Regional level will help determine what the true costs of such underpasses will be.

If they are reluctant in going forward with the designs, Mr. Wehrenberg said a “duly qualified Ontario civil engineer” has stepped up to the plate to provide designs free of charge when designs for the Leslie Street reconstruction are 90 per cent complete. Those, he added, are still only at the 60 per cent stage.

Al Downey, Aurora’s Director of Parks and Recreation, said this offer was not one which was likely to be taken up by the Region.

“[Mr. Wehrenberg] would like to see that work carried out by the Region and then capture the actual cost for it,” said Mr. Downey. “In discussions with the Region, they are not interested in doing that. That is shopping and they are not interested in shopping. If Council wishes to commit $1.2 million for this underpass, which is the estimated cost of the work, then the Region is more than happy to put this design into the tender. However, they will not put the work unto the tender without a commitment from Council for funds.”

Rather than going ahead with a ramp in this location, the Region has proposed 120 metre ramps leading up to and down to pedestrian signals at the intersection of Leslie and St. John’s Sideroad. But this solution, according to Mr. Wehrenberg, runs the risk of posing problems for people with mobility issues and other physical problems.

“It is a well-established reality that commuting trail users, which will be the majority who will use this trail, will seek the shortest possible way to get to their destination,” he said. “This ramping approach will do absolutely nothing to promoting linkages between the residential and employment areas on either side of Leslie as a viable transportation option for the community, as the Regional [and Municipal] governments intend to do.

“It will not cost you one red cent to find out how much that underpass will really cost by including the underpass design options in the tendering documents.”