Third Crossing - West Shore Roadwork

Update: The Q&A section is now closed. Thank you for your questions and interest in the project. Read the summary of engagement.

The Q&A section is now closed. Thank you for your questions and interest in the project. Read the summary of engagement


The City of Kingston continues to build a Third Crossing bridge across the Cataraqui River from the foot of Gore Road in the city's east-end to connect with John Counter Boulevard on the west shore of the Cataraqui River. The new bridge will help to connect the east and west side communities, provide additional transportation capacity to support continued growth and development, improve access for emergency services, and provide a safe and enjoyable infrastructure to promote active transportation such as walking and cycling.

As the construction work continues, the project team is looking ahead to the road work that is being planned for the west shore of the project site. The purpose of this pagee is to allow residents to review the final road design planned for the west shore; to gain an understanding of the road design and considerations given to safe and efficient movement of pedestrian, cyclist and vehicular traffic; and to ask questions of the project team. Please note that the Third Crossing project team will be providing future public engagement opportunities for residents with an interest in the site restoration and landscaping work that will be planned for the west shore and the bridge. Stay tuned for this public engagement planned for early 2022.

Interim improvements to John Counter Blvd and Montreal St.

This public engagement focuses on the road work planned between the bridge and Montreal St including interim improvements to the intersection of Montreal St and John Counter Blvd. The City of Kingston has recently received Federal grant funding that will enable the full reconstruction of the intersection at Montreal St and John Counter Blvd to provide necessary improvements for transit and active transportation facilities. This separate project will commence with public engagement and design work in 2022, with construction work to commence in 2023.

Residents can view the final road design, including interim improvements, in the ‘Display boards’ section below and download the pdf slides. If you have questions, please feel free to ask the project team in the 'Question' section.

The Q&A section is now closed. Thank you for your questions and interest in the project. Read the summary of engagement


The City of Kingston continues to build a Third Crossing bridge across the Cataraqui River from the foot of Gore Road in the city's east-end to connect with John Counter Boulevard on the west shore of the Cataraqui River. The new bridge will help to connect the east and west side communities, provide additional transportation capacity to support continued growth and development, improve access for emergency services, and provide a safe and enjoyable infrastructure to promote active transportation such as walking and cycling.

As the construction work continues, the project team is looking ahead to the road work that is being planned for the west shore of the project site. The purpose of this pagee is to allow residents to review the final road design planned for the west shore; to gain an understanding of the road design and considerations given to safe and efficient movement of pedestrian, cyclist and vehicular traffic; and to ask questions of the project team. Please note that the Third Crossing project team will be providing future public engagement opportunities for residents with an interest in the site restoration and landscaping work that will be planned for the west shore and the bridge. Stay tuned for this public engagement planned for early 2022.

Interim improvements to John Counter Blvd and Montreal St.

This public engagement focuses on the road work planned between the bridge and Montreal St including interim improvements to the intersection of Montreal St and John Counter Blvd. The City of Kingston has recently received Federal grant funding that will enable the full reconstruction of the intersection at Montreal St and John Counter Blvd to provide necessary improvements for transit and active transportation facilities. This separate project will commence with public engagement and design work in 2022, with construction work to commence in 2023.

Residents can view the final road design, including interim improvements, in the ‘Display boards’ section below and download the pdf slides. If you have questions, please feel free to ask the project team in the 'Question' section.

Update: The Q&A section is now closed. Thank you for your questions and interest in the project. Read the summary of engagement.

If you have any questions for the project team on the final design of the west shore road designs, please submit them below and we will respond within two days. Q&A closes November 24 at 4 p.m. 

  • From the drawing provided, it looks like the 'multi-use' pathways (which I assume will include bicycles), turn into 'sidewalks' at the intersection. We don't ask car drivers to get out of their cars at an intersection, why do bicycle riders have to turn into pedestrians at an intersection? And further to an earlier question in this feed, a person asked for bicycle lanes and you referred to the multi-use lane. The fact is, there is NO separate bicycle lane on this bridge. Cars have their own lanes and everyone else has to share a rather narrow strip on the bridge. Very disappointing, but something that was clear from the beginning. This bridge is for cars; the rest is window-dressing. If that is not the case, please address the issues raised here and by others. thank you. Susanne

    scj asked almost 3 years ago

    Thanks for sharing your concerns.

    When cyclists are using the road, they are considered vehicles and must follow the rules of the road and wait at traffic signals like cars do.  The road lanes will include video-detection technology that will help address traffic calls to keep traffic flowing.

    When cyclists choose to use off-road infrastructure, they can share electronic infrastructure such as the actuator buttons to call an intersection crossing just like pedestrians do.  It’s a safer maneuver when signals are being used to assist users to cross intersections while sharing the same actuator equipment which is efficient design.

    Correct, there are no ‘designated cycling lanes’ on the bridge proper as defined by City of Kingston’s by-law which defines as a road symbol or sign or combination of both to define a cycling lane on the road.  Typically, the cycling lanes are 1.5meters in width.  The bridge will have shoulders that are 2.0 meters wide in both directions if cyclists feel comfortable cycling in those shoulder lanes rather than the separated multi-use pathway as they are.  If separation is desired, cyclists can travel on the multi-use pathway.  

    Overall, the bridge will provide opportunity to service all users whether pedestrian, cyclists, transit, and cars.  Keep in mind that adding the 4 meter wide pathway with the 4 meters of shoulder provides 8 meters of possible cycling space which is greater than the two car lanes combined.

  • Hi there! I have grave concerns for the current plans with the intersections for both John Counter Boulevard/Montreal Streets, and JCB/Ascot Lane. I've mentioned it during the feedback for the east side of the bridge, but I'll reiterate here; there needs to be sufficient lanes to handle traffic coming from the 401. Despite the fact that the ETR is supposed to redirect traffic north, previous circumstances have proven that traffic will often divert downtown and over the Causeway rather than taking the longer route north. This issue has caused catastrophic issues for traffic and emergency response whenever the 401 is closed for any reason. We must assume the worst because this has been an issue for decades, and to not plan for this kind of emergency would be disastrous. As a result, as The Third Crossing will be taking over the duties of the Causeway, I urge to expand the lane assignments for all 401-diverted traffic to include 2 left-turn lanes on Montreal Southbound, a dedicated right-turn lane on John Counter Blvd Westbound, add an exit to the subdivision onto Montreal Street, and make the current Ascot Lane intersection an entrance only (Alternatively, turn the Ascot Lane intersection into a roundabout to completely eliminate the issue). On the East Side Gore Road Eastbound will need two left-turn lanes, and Highway 15 Southbound will need a dedicated right-turn lane. There also needs to be sufficient right-of-way for such traffic on both sides to prevent traffic heading in other directions from being blocked. If you can e-mail me at thelegacy@gmail.com, I can provide further information and feedback. Thank you.

    The Legacy asked about 3 years ago

    Thanks for your question and suggstions.

    Incidents on the 401 causes traffic issues in Kingston unless MTO uses a live traffic patrol crew to redirect traffic to the appropriate EDR’s for flows that avoid congesting City traffic.  

    Many drivers have smart phone apps that have live traffic streams and they will choose their routes accordingly during incidents.  The City has had many coordination meetings with MTO to ensure that MTO EDR routes are being following during incidents.  

    The City will be conducting traffic monitoring once the bridge is open for use and will review how any 401 issues impact Kingston in the future.

  • Can the city please provide a cycle track on this route? The added traffic and high speeds of the roadway warrant a protected bicycle path.

    soul86 asked about 3 years ago

    Thank you for your question.

    The project will include a separated multi-use pathway on the south side of John Counter going from Ascot, across the bridge, and on Gore up to Hwy 15.

    The width of the pathway is 3 meters on the shore and 4 meters on the bridge which provides space for bi-directional cycling mixed with pedestrian use.

    The pathway on the shores are off-road and the path portion on the bridge has a traffic barrier wall to protect from the car lanes.

  • Knowing there will be loads of traffic using the two-lane Montreal Street to and from John Counter (Third Crossing side) during both commutes, I would think a right turn lane on Montreal St. northbound onto JCB (third crossing side) would be needed to prevent traffic build up on Montreal and separate the people who are turning right from the people who are continuing north towards the 401? We are a growing city with a traffic problem that I think no amount of pedestrian/cyclist paths are going to solve; therefore, I would think we should accommodate the roads for the commuters (leisure drivers and tourists too), making it a little easier to drive around the city? I think of the intersection of Gardiners and TBK and the lack of right turn lanes there, and would hope the city see that if we build our newer intersections with the future in mind, we wouldn’t have to go back and reconstruct later, spending even more money due to inflation and the rising costs of labour. Thank you.

    jyoun024 asked about 3 years ago

    Thanks for sharing your suggestion.

    There is limited right-of-way space in this intersection to permit dedicated lanes in all directions & legs and this configuration that is being proposed now in the slides is preferred. One of the slides indicates that the intersection of Montreal/JCB is an interim configuration that will be reviewed as part of the Federal grant program to revisit the functionality of the Montreal/JCB intersection in order to accommodate all forms of transportation with a priority on Transit and Active Transportation.   Future public engagement will form part of that work.

  • I believe that a pull in lane for buses is needed at Montreal street heading north where the bus can pull off the travelled portion of street which would allow traffic flow to continue while bus is stopped. It is unsafe now with cars trying to pass into the turn lane to go around the bus. The city can make the stop back from the intersection where available land is located on the boulevard. Please consider this recommendation for a safer situation for pedestrians.

    mcelroyd asked about 3 years ago

    Thanks for sharing your consideration about transit and pedestrian safety.

    Transit enhancements are one of the key objectives of the Federal grant program’s design.  The installation of a bus lay-by will be reviewed as part of the analysis and design work for the Montreal/JCB for all legs of the intersection. 

    This analysis will be coordinated with the future transit route options and pedestrian movements that will also be explored during the analysis work.  There will be future public engagement for the intersection redesign.  


  • All this road work is great, the problem I see coming is the Tim Hortons on the corner. It already impacts traffic. I see it impacting the intersection as vehicles come across the bridge, my concern is more vehicles lining up to enter Tim's, in much the same way as the disaster at Division and First Canada, with left turning vehicles, and line ups to enter stalling traffic.

    DeeB asked about 3 years ago

    Thanks for sharing your concerns.

    The analysis for the intersection design at Montreal/JCB will consider the adjacent business operations as part of the design work.  One idea could be the installation of a second west bound lane (west of Montreal St) that could act as a bus lane and right turn lane into Tim Hortons which along the lines of the south leg of Montreal/JCB that allows right turns into Chat a Bit Station.  It will be considered together with the full review of the other elements of the intersection and right-of-way space during its design for enhanced Active Transportation and Transit as part of the Federal grant program.  There will be future public engagement for the intersection redesign.  

  • That intersecton has been pretty dangerous for me as a cyclist. You get a lot of speed built up coming down the bridge going south. However, a lot of people are turning right from Montreal onto John Counter. Think they are checking their mirrors to see if they are about to turn into a cyclist? I'd be happy if people even signaled. There needs to be a right turn lane and the bicycle lane needs to be to the left of that. It is setup like that on John Counter eastbound. I don't feel safe going north on the bridge in the bicycle lane either, usually go up on the sidewalk. If you are over the crest of the bridge, drivers can't see you until they are on top of you. Maybe a wider sidewalk that is half bicycle lane? I don't like separators as that means snow does not get plowed off the bike lane in the winter.

    lhaeh asked about 3 years ago

    Thanks for sharing your concerns and experience.  

    Having a dedicated right turn and a bike lane heading southbound on Montreal is possible.   It will be considered together with the full review of the other elements of the intersection and right-of-way space during its design for enhanced Active Transportation and Transit as part of the Federal grant program.  There will be requirements to relocate electrical and other equipment in the intersection which requires a large amount of time and coordination which will be part of the analysis as well.  

    Depending on your cycling comfort level, it may be helpful to take the through lane when heading southbound on Montreal Street or to dismount and use the sidewalk to cross JCB at the signals.  There will be future public engagement for the intersection redesign and prioritizing cycling infrastructure will form part of that work.    

  • Based on the illustration for the John Counter and Ascot intersection, the street corner radii are much larger for the north corners than the south corners. Why do the north corners have a larger radius? Since a smaller corner radius helps facilitate safe turning speeds, would you consider revising the design to include smaller radii for these corners?

    Derek asked about 3 years ago

    Thanks for sharing your observations.

    The radii is different for the north leg compared to the south leg.  As you suggest, the project team considered altering the radii through the design evolution of the intersection, but we also saw a future option to widen the north half of JCB from the bridge to Montreal Street heading westbound.  The larger radii is situated in a manner that if a widening is desired in the future, the radii can remain in its location and limit impacts to redo some of the intersection work.  This is also cognizant of past City analysis that JCB could be widened from Montreal Street to Division some time in the future as well.

    However, heading eastbound, the bridge is two lanes and any widenings on the south side of JCB heading eastbound would need to merge west of Ascot for safer maneuvers rather than forcing the merge on the east side of Ascot heading eastbound onto the bridge.

  • First, I'd like to say I'm please we're finally getting a third crossing. We've only been talking about it since 1965. 1. Why is only the Project Engineer and Communications Officer involved in this Q&A, and not someone from the planning dept? 2. Why was the bridge only designed with 2 lanes? If the bridge has a 100 year lifespan, and Kingston grows in population at 2% per year, then the population, and therefore traffic, will be more than double. Two lanes are insufficient. But I guess "Who cares?". That will be our grandchildren's problem... 3. Why are there no dedicated right turn lanes, except the eastbound John Counter to southbound Montreal ramp? This will be as bad (and short sighted) as westbound Taylor Kidd to northbound Gardiners where one is waiting behind a long line of through traffic going while waiting to make a right hand turn. 4 a. When will (if ever) John Counter be widened to 4 lanes between Division and Montreal? Related to Question 1) 4 b. What is it about this city and having roads that go back and forth from 2 lanes to 4 and back again (ie Centennial, John Counter etc)?

    trevor999 asked about 3 years ago

    Thanks for your questions.

    The Major Projects Office is the leading team managing the Third Crossing, not the Planning Dept. The Project Engineer has all the relevant project history available as part of the file and can answer most of the questions but will also reach out to other departments for additional information depending on the question.

    Many of your questions were asked, deliberated, and addressed as part of the presentation of the 2017 Third Crossing Business Plan presented to Kingston Council in June 2017.  Here is a link to that document which touches on the traffic modelling questions that you have.  https://thirdcrossing.cityofkingston.ca/info-centre/business-plan   You'll notice the Appendix 1 has the traffic analysis and forecasting included.

    There is limited right-of-way space in this intersection to permit dedicated lanes in all directions & legs and this configuration that is being proposed now in the slides is preferred. One of the slides indicates that the intersection of Montreal/JCB is an interim configuration that will be reviewed as part of the Federal grant program to revisit the functionality of the Montreal/JCB intersection in order to accommodate all forms of transportation with a priority on Transit and Active Transportation.   Future public engagement will form part of that work.

    The widening of JCB from Division to Montreal was shown in previous City reports and is currently not in the near term plans for widening.  One major factor is to reassess this potential widening once the Third Crossing is in service which will provide important empirical data to help decision makers decide whether a widening is needed.

    Providing the minimum amount of road capacity that is needed to address peak traffic flows in key areas of a City is an adopted strategy of traffic engineering.   Another key reason is that intersections dictate the flow of traffic, not the corridors that connect them.  Building more road capacity than is required is not a good use of resources and leads to higher speeds and more operational costs with repairs and snow clearing.  The 2015 Kingston Transportation Master Plan provides information regarding the Level of Service (LOS) that has been accepted by Council for traffic flows in Kingston.  

  • Hi, I've emailed Dan Franco without any response on this to date - so I am posting here in hopes of getting and anwer. Before the bridge construction John Counter would dead end at am unofficial boat ramp and parking lot. This was used by canoers, kayakers, fishermen, and small aluminum boats to access the water, and in the winter, a spot to park and skate on the lake. I don't see this water access or parking access on any of the plans - which makes me thing that this was either a gross oversight by the city, or a deliberate action to stop these recreational activities at this site. No comment from the city on this to date. Even Trailhead Kingston used to advertise skating outings at this location on their twitter feed.

    sharpsugar asked about 3 years ago

    Thanks for reaching out.  

    This question was asked in the previous Get Involved for the east side landscaping for the Third Crossing that occurred a couple of months ago.

    The project team has received this request many times over the years and is on the consideration list as a future opportunity.

     The Third Crossing is essentially a road construction project, not a park-type project with park-type amenities.  

    The future projects that are adjacent to the Third Crossing are shown on one of the slides. The planning of these adjacent future projects is where the consideration for water access will be looked into.  Having the Third Crossing in service will provide additional info on the water access question such as traffic patterns, parking, trail access distance from parking, west shore or east shore, etc. which will be added to the evaluation criteria.   

    There will be future public engagement opportunities for when the adjacent future projects are underway.  These water access suggestions will remain on the consideration list till then.