Council says it needs to move on $51M bike safety plan

Improving pedestrian and cyclist safety on some of Windsor's most dangerous roads could be a high priority come budget talks, say city councillors.

Council agreedMonday night to acceptin principlea plan that calls for a complete overhaul of some key streets in an area known as the central box.

There is no timeline for the work to get done, and it will only be approvedif council can agree on how to pay for it.

• Publicmeeting on 'central box' area held by city

A minimumof $51 million will be needed to improve streets in the area that straddles the EC Row Expressway, according to the environmental assessment done by Stantec Consulting.That estimate does not includecosts for buying up land needed to get the work done.

But the project has also been broken up into sections, which could be completed separately, and spread the cost over time.

Breaking down the costs

The area looked at is generally bounded by Eugenie Street, Howard Avenue, West Grand/South Cameron Boulevard and Dominion Boulevard.

Of all the sections within the plan,Stantecranked the Dougall Avenue portion as the top priority. This $5.3 million improvement would includea multi-use trail and tunnel under the CN Rail bridge, as well as a multi-use trail along South Cameron Boulevard to Northwood Street.

The most expensive portion of the plan is the east-west corridor, which includes widening, realigning and extending several roads, as well as building multi-use trails.

Each project has been broken down by cost:

• Dominion Boulevard$7.8 million
• Dougall-Ouellette Avenue corridor: $8 million
• Howard Avenue corridor: $3.25 million
• East-west corridor: $29 million
• Civic ways: $3.1 million

Total Central Box study area: $51.15 milliion

Public consultation

The proposalwill now go back to the public for more input before returning to council.

Mayor DrewDilkenscalled council's decision a significant milestone in the city's history, given how long many of the streets have been a problem for pedestrians and cyclists.

Completing the environmental assessment may have taken two years, but council is now in a position to improve safety on many of its roads.

He also said council can further expand on many of proposals and add infeatures such as segregated bike lanes, the absence ofwhich was a common criticism raised on Monday by those who support the project.

"I wouldn't say all hope is lost on that,"Dilkenstold his fellowcouncillors. "As long as you work within the roadway, you can make minor changes."