What We Heard - Westbrook Road Sidewalk and Rest Areas Engagement

As part of the City’s ongoing efforts to make it easier to get around Kingston through active modes of transportation and improved pedestrian safety, a new sidewalk is being constructed along the west side of Westbrook Road between Ottawa St./Windermere Dr. and Princess St.

Community input was collected through the City’s online Get Involved Kingston platform from December 12, 2022, to January 6, 2023; this input has informed the locations for benches to be placed along the Westbrook Road sidewalk as part of the upcoming sidewalk construction.

Summary of Feedback and Responses

During the engagement, 394 visitors viewed the Get Involved Kingston project page, 16 of which offered feedback through the interactive maps by dropping pins to mark locations they would like to see future rest areas. Additionally, several residents emailed the project manager directly to offer feedback.

The map below depicts the general locations selected by participants that were considered by staff.

Map of interactive pins for rest areas

Participants noted a desire for benches to be placed in the general vicinity of intersections and also noted additional locations between intersections where providing rest areas could be beneficial. The proposed locations will be reviewed taking into consideration AODA requirements and existing constraints within the right of way to determine the best placements.

The City also received comments and questions regarding the proposed design and scope of work. A summary of these comments and questions and additional information from the project team are included below.

Sidewalk alignment - inquiries about the sidewalk alignment and shifts between a sidewalk adjacent to the curbing and a sidewalk further setback into the boulevard area.

The sidewalk is intended to provide separation for pedestrians from the vehicle traffic along Westbrook Road. The alignment of the sidewalk is designed based on existing constraints along the corridor, including ditching and the presence of existing utilities and trees. Shifting the sidewalk to be curb-facing in certain locations is intended to preserve existing trees within the right of way. Curbed sidewalk requires shifting the existing ditches and installing additional culverts to ensure proper drainage for the boulevard. The curb-facing sidewalk is also designed wider than the separated sidewalk to allow more walking space.

Lighting - additional street lighting would be desirable to improve safety for pedestrians along Westbrook Road.

The sidewalk has been designed with illumination in mind and additional lighting improvements will be installed as part of the construction work.

Transit - a desire for additional transit service along Westbrook Road.

As part of this project and in consultation with Kingston Transit, the rest areas at Roshan Drive and Berkshire Drive have been sized and will be constructed such that they could be used as future bus stops.

Road Improvements - the City received requests to consider road improvements as part of the project.

The City has reviewed the existing pavement and has identified a scope of road repairs that will be incorporated into the project from Princess Street to Sproule Street.

Supplementary Feedback

The City also received feedback on items that were determined to be out of scope for this particular project. A summary of those themes and responses are included below.

Changing the existing ditch drainage system to a storm sewer system to provide additional boulevard space for the sidewalk.

A full overhaul of the drainage system, which would include the installation of buried storm sewers and urbanization of the corridor is beyond the scope and budget for this project and is not planned at this time.

Some felt that a sidewalk was not necessary for Westbrook Road.

This section of Westbrook Road was identified as a network gap in the City’s Active Transportation Master Plan, and the project was identified in the City’s Five-Year Implementation Plan, as this sidewalk gap presents a barrier for pedestrians in the growing community.

Additional or alternate locations for the sidewalk.

The conceptual design for the sidewalk reviewed the existing roadway and constraints on the east and west sides and determined that the preferred location for the sidewalk is along the west side of the road as this will impact fewer trees and utilities. The sidewalk construction will also include the addition of crosswalks at the Sproule Street and Heath Street intersections, and a controlled pedestrian crossing at Ottawa/Windermere Street to improve pedestrian connections to this new sidewalk. Requests for consideration of the sidewalk along Sproule Street have been noted and will be subject to consideration in the City’s future capital plans.

Concerns about the level and speed of traffic along Westbrook Road and inquired regarding traffic calming measures.

Traffic calming is not part of the scope of this project. The construction of a sidewalk along the corridor is intended to provide a separate space for pedestrians and improve safety for pedestrians along the corridor. The project will also include the construction of crosswalks at the intersections of Sproule Street and Heath Street to improve pedestrian connectivity and priority at these locations. The City is also planning to incorporate a controlled pedestrian crossing at the Windermere/Ottawa intersection, and upgrades to the traffic signals at the Princess Street intersection to incorporate audible pedestrian signals and increase pedestrian safety and connectivity to the new sidewalk.

Next steps

The City is reviewing the feedback received to finalize the locations for rest areas as part of the final design of the sidewalk. The project is expected to be issued for tender in Spring 2023 with construction starting in Summer 2023. Additional information will be shared on this project page when the construction project timelines are confirmed.