Barrie residents had their last chance to chime in on how one of the city's main arteries into downtown could be revitalized.
The final public information centre (PIC) was held Tuesday night, allowing people to see the proposed final design concept, which would drastically change the look of Bradford Street, from Dunlop to Tiffin streets.
The Bradford Street Corridor Environmental Assessment (EA) took place virtually last night and lasted around 90 minutes. About 30 people were on the Zoom call. Similar meetings were previously held Jan. 27 and June 22.
One of the main views presented at the meetings is that while the surrounding land is being redeveloped and population densities increase, city officials say it's important to create sufficient road and pedestrian space while also addressing the needs of the environment.
While the design concept has a detailed vision of what Bradford Street could look like in a decade, there is still a lot of work to be done.
The city says the arrangement of sidewalk, cycle track and streetscape zones could be re-arranged within the boulevard if desired, and if that is deemed more appropriate with the types of developments being planned.
One graphic provided for people on the Zoom call shows pedestrian areas set at a total of 8.1 metres, with the sidewalk, setback and buffer at 3.1 metres, a cycle track at two metres, and the boulevard/curb area at three metres.
While there would be two lanes going each way for vehicular traffic, there would also be a median in the middle with grass and trees.
Two options are being looked at regarding vehicle travel.
One design includes roundabouts, but the signalized intersections are deemed to be more desirable for a number of reasons, including better accessibility to hearing and visually impaired people, the ability to incorporate transit, and a lower construction cost.
One of the main concerns from residents on the Zoom call was the speed many vehicles currently travel on Bradford Street.
The project is expected to help connect the downtown with the planned Allandale Transit Mobility Hub in a more accessible way than travelling on what one presenter called “the more scenic route of Lakeshore Drive.”
The following sections are being looked at for the study:
— Bradford Street from Dunlop Street to Tiffin Street
— High Street from Dunlop Street to Bradford Street
— Simcoe Street from Toronto Street to Bradford Street
— Tiffin Street from Bradford Street to Lakeshore Drive
With the final PIC now completed, the next steps will be to gather the input from Tuesday’s meeting and finalize a preferred solution and environmental study report, both of which should be done by the winter of 2023. A staff report to council seeking approval and the completion of the study before getting to work would also be expected around that time.
For more information on the project as it becomes available, click here.
