CITY OF KINGSTON REPORT TO COUNCIL. Report No.:

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1 CITY OF KINGSTON REPORT TO COUNCIL Report No.: TO: FROM: RESOURCE STAFF: Mayor and Members of Council Jim Keech, President and CEO, Utilities Kingston Mark Van Buren, Director of Engineering DATE OF MEETING: February 5, 2013 SUBJECT: Signing Authority To Enter Into A Cost-Sharing Agreement With The Ministry Of Transportation Ontario For The Installation Of A New Traffic Signal At The Intersection Of Perth Road And McAdoo s Lane EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The Ministry of Transportation Ontario has plans to widen and rehabilitate Highway 401 from west of Montreal Street to the Cataraqui structure as early as this summer subject to funding with an estimated project duration of 5 years. There will be short and long-term ramp closures at the Montreal Street interchange to facilitate construction. The proposed detour route during these ramp closures will route traffic along McAdoo s Lane north of Highway 401, between Perth Road and Battersea Road. The City s latest traffic counts indicate that a traffic signal is already required under existing conditions at the intersection of Perth Road and McAdoo s Lane. As the Ministry of Transportation was prepared to pay for a temporary traffic signal at this intersection, they have instead offered to design and install a permanent traffic signal to municipal standards and enter into a cost-sharing agreement with the City. RECOMMENDATION: THAT the Mayor and Clerk be authorized to enter into a cost-sharing agreement with the Ministry of Transportation Ontario for the installation of a new traffic signal at the intersection of Perth Road and McAdoo s Lane, and that such agreement be in a form satisfactory to the Director of Legal Services. Council Meeting 5 February 5,

2 - Page 2 - AUTHORIZING SIGNATURES: Jim Keech, President and CEO, Utilities Kingston Gerard Hunt, Chief Administrative Officer CONSULTATION WITH THE FOLLOWING COMMISSIONERS: Cynthia Beach, Sustainability & Growth Lanie Hurdle, Community Services N/R N/R Denis Leger, Transportation, Properties & Emergency Services (N/R indicates consultation not required) Council Meeting 5 February 5,

3 - Page 3 - OPTIONS/DISCUSSION: The Ministry of Transportation Ontario has plans to widen and rehabilitate Highway 401 from west of Montreal Street to the Cataraqui River Bridge. As part of this work, the existing bridge at Montreal Street will be demolished and replaced. Subject to funding, the earliest possible date for the contractor to be on-site is June or July of this year with an estimated project duration of up to 5 years with the final paving being completed by July There will be short and longterm ramp closures at the Montreal Street interchange to facilitate construction for a period of up to 5 years. The worst-case scenario, is the simultaneous closure of all 4 of the interchange ramps, occurring for possibly a one-week period. At other times, the following 3 ramps could be simultaneously closed for up to a three-month period. 1) North/south Montreal Street to Eastbound 401 2) North/south Montreal Street to Westbound 401 3) Eastbound 401 to north/south Montreal Street The proposed detour route for the closure will route traffic along McAdoo s Lane north of Highway 401, between Perth Road and Battersea Road, and use the Division Street interchange at Highway 401 for access to and from the highway. The Ministry of Transportation Ontario hired the consulting firm McCormick Rankin to analyze the detour route to identify the requirement for temporary traffic signals to accommodate the detoured traffic at the following intersections: 1) Perth Road at McAdoo s Lane 2) Battersea Road at McAdoo s Lane Perth Road at McAdoo s Lane The City s traffic counts completed in July of 2012, indicate that a traffic signal is already required under existing conditions at the intersection of Perth Road and McAdoo s Lane. Although a new traffic signal is not currently scheduled for installation within the existing multi-year infrastructure plan, there were tentative plans to install a signal here as early as Since McCormick Rankin s report confirms the need for a traffic signal, even without the construction detour in place, it is recommended that a permanent traffic signal be installed at this intersection prior to the implementation of the detour route for the Highway 401 and Montreal Street interchange construction. As the Ministry of Transportation was prepared to pay for all costs associated with a temporary traffic signal at Perth Road and McAdoo s Lane, they have instead offered to design and install a permanent traffic signal and enter into a cost-sharing agreement with the City. The Ministry of Transportation would be responsible for the design, construction and inspection of the traffic signal and they have agreed to comply with City standards. The City would be responsible for the cost of the traffic signal less the amount that the Ministry of Transportation would have paid for a temporary traffic signal. Since the City typically budgets $220,000 for a permanent traffic signal and the Ministry of Transportation estimates the cost of a temporary traffic signal to be Council Meeting 5 February 5,

4 - Page 4 - $60,000, the cost to the City is expected to be approximately $160,000. This cost can be accommodated within the existing Engineering Department s Capital Budget. Battersea Road at McAdoo s Lane The City s traffic counts completed in July of 2010 (with a growth factor of 3%), indicate that a traffic signal is not required, and is not close to meeting the warrants for a traffic signal, under existing conditions at the intersection of Battersea Road and McAdoo s Lane. According to McCormick Rankin s report, this intersection would only meet the requirements for a traffic signal when the westbound off ramp is closed and if ALL of the detoured traffic uses the McAdoo Lane route. Since it is most likely that some of the traffic will choose other routes, it is not expected that a traffic signal will be required at this location. For this reason, both the Ministry of Transportation and McCormick Rankin do not recommend that a temporary or permanent traffic signal be installed at the intersection of Battersea Road at McAdoo s Lane in order to accommodate the detoured traffic. The Ministry of Transportation does however have plans to monitor this intersection and if there are traffic-related issues, there are funds within their budget to hire police to direct traffic as required. Potential for a Roundabout at Division Street & McAdoo s Lane The feasibility of installing a roundabout instead of a traffic signal at Division Street and McAdoo s Lane was also considered. A preliminary analysis of the site was completed by Ourston Roundabout Engineering and it was determined that a roundabout is most likely technically feasible at this intersection. Since a realignment of the north leg on Division Street could be required, it is likely that a roundabout would be considerably more expensive than a traffic signal. Further work would be required in order to complete a conceptual design and a cost estimate that would be used to determine if the operational and safety advantages of a roundabout are worth the additional capital cost. It is important to note that even if a roundabout is the preferred option at this location, the design and construction could take several years. Since a traffic signal is required by MTO at the intersection anyway for a period of up to 5 years, it could be a difficult adjustment for motorists if the signal was removed by MTO and then replaced with a roundabout several years later. It is also important to note that if MTO installs and then removes a temporary traffic signal at this location, there will be no opportunity for cost-sharing of a permanent future traffic signal. EXISTING POLICY/BY LAW: NOTICE PROVISIONS: Council Meeting 5 February 5,

5 - Page 5 - ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS: FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS: Since the City typically budgets $220,000 for a permanent traffic signal and the Ministry of Transportation estimates the cost of a temporary traffic signal to be $60,000, the cost to the City is expected to be approximately $160,000. This cost can be accommodated within the existing Engineering Department s Capital Budget. More specifically, the Road Reconstruction program for 2012 has sufficient remaining funds following completion of all scheduled 2012 road reconstruction projects, to enable funding for this project. CONTACTS: Mark VanBuren, Director of Engineering ext Deanna Green, Manager, Traffic Division ext OTHER CITY OF KINGSTON STAFF CONSULTED: Hal Linscott, Director, Legal Services ext Peter Huigenbos, Director, Real Estate & Construction ext EXHIBITS ATTACHED: Not applicable. Council Meeting 5 February 5,