Report to/Rapport
au:
Transportation and
Transit Committee/
Comité des transports et des services de transport
en commun
and Council/et au Conseil
15 May 2002 / le 15 mai 2002
Submitted
by/Soumis par: Ned Lathrop, General Manager/Directeur général
Development Services Department / Services d’aménagement
Contact/Personne-ressource: Larry Morrison, Manager, Infrastructure
Approvals /
Gestionnaire, Approbation des demandes d’infrastructure
580-2424 ext. 27807 Larry.Morrison@city.ottawa.on.ca
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Ref. No. ACS2002-DEV-APR-0100 |
SUBJECT: MODIFICATIONS TO MERIVALE ROAD TO
ACCOMMODATE THE FIRST VIEWMOUNT SHOPPING CENTRE DEVELOPMENT
OBJET: MODIFICATIONS AU CHEMIN MERIVALE EN VUE DE PERMETTRE DES TRAVAUX
D’AMÉNAGEMENT - FIRST VIEWMOUNT SHOPPING CENTRES LTD.
REPORT RECOMMENDATION
That the Transportation and
Transit Committee recommend Council approve the provision of an easterly leg to
the existing signalized intersection of Merivale Road and the Merivale Mall
Shopping Centre and the construction of associated modifications on Merivale
Road from Viewmount Avenue to a point approximately 125 m north of the Merivale
Mall driveway as described in the report subject to:
1.
The proponent, First Viewmount Shopping Centres
Limited, front-ending the total cost for the roadway modifications, any
associated utility relocations, the modification of the existing traffic
control signals, and the execution of legal agreements with respect to this
project;
2.
The City reimbursing the proponent for the construction
of those elements of the roadway modifications that are identified to have a
direct improvement on traffic safety; and,
3.
The transfer of funds in the amount of $100,000 from Account #900830, North/South
Transportation Link to Account #901875, Merivale Road Modifications.
RECOMMANDATIONS DU RAPPORT
Que le
Comité des transports et des services de transport en commun recommande au
Conseil municipal d’approuver l’aménagement d’un embranchement en direction est
à l’intersection à signalisation du chemin Merivale et du centre commercial
Merivale et la construction des modifications connexes sur le chemin Merivale,
depuis l’avenue Viewmount jusqu’à un point situé à environ 125 m au nord de
l’entrée du centre commercial Merivale, comme il est décrit dans le rapport,
sous réserve des conditions suivantes :
1.
le promoteur, First Viewmount
Shopping Centres Limited, finance initialement le coût total des modifications
à la chaussée, des relogements connexes des services publics, de la
modification des dispositifs de signalisation existants et des ententes
juridiques relatives à ce projet;
2.
la Ville rembourse au promoteur les
coûts de construction des éléments de modification de la chaussée qui
contribuent directement à améliorer la sécurité routière;
3.
le virement de fonds, s’élevant à
100 000 $, du compte no 900830, voies de communications Nord/Sud, au
compte no 901875, modifications au chemin Merivale.
BACKGROUND
Work is currently underway to construct the First Viewmount Shopping Centre site located on the east side of Merivale Road between the Merivale Mall driveway and Viewmount Avenue. Approval of this development occurred in the summer 2001 with build out projected for 2006. This proposed 10870 m² of commercial retail space would have an impact on the surrounding City roads, the most notable being Merivale Road. Document 1 shows the site in an area context.
The subject of this report is concerned with the approval of the modifications to Merivale Road from a point 125 m north of the intersection with the Merivale Mall Shopping Centre driveway south to Viewmount Avenue. If approved, these proposed roadway modifications are scheduled to commence in the fall of 2002. Attached, as Document 2, is the First Viewmount Shopping Centre Site Plan that shows the building arrangement, the internal site circulation and its orientation to the surrounding City of Ottawa road network.
ANALYSIS
Existing Conditions
The land use along the west side of Merivale Road in this area is almost entirely retail commercial. On the east side of Merivale Road directly north of the site the Ottawa-Carleton Catholic School Board maintains its offices. South of the site, on the south side of Viewmount Avenue, Merivale High School is located. A high-rise apartment building is located on the east side adjacent to the proposed shopping centre.
Merivale Road along the west side of this proposed shopping centre is an undivided, four-lane arterial roadway. Along the south side, Viewmount Drive is an undivided, two-lane major collector roadway that intersects with Merivale Road, which is controlled by traffic signals. To the north of the shopping centre site, the former City of Nepean proposed a street to link Merivale Road with Grant Carmen Drive. This proposed link is currently undergoing the Environmental Assessment (Schedule B).
The existing roadway geometry for Merivale Road and Viewmount Drive is provided in Document 3.
Pedestrians
On this section of Merivale Road, 1.5 m sidewalks exist on both sides of the roadway. Asphalt sidewalks are provided on both sides of Viewmount Drive. Pedestrians are provided with protected crossings at the signalized intersection of Merivale and Viewmount. A protected crossing is also provided at the traffic signals at Merivale Road and the Merivale Mall along the south side of the driveway.
Based on an eight-hour traffic survey carried out on a Tuesday in May 2001, at the intersection of Merivale Road and the Merivale Mall Shopping Centre and balanced with the pedestrian volumes recorded on the following day at Merivale Road and Viewmount Drive, approximately 145 persons were observed walking along the east side of Merivale Road with about 220 pedestrians traveling along the west side.
At Merivale Road and the Merivale Mall driveway, pedestrians are currently prohibited from crossing Merivale Road on the north side of the intersection. Over this same period of time, 140 eastbound and westbound pedestrians were observed crossing Merivale Road.
Bicycles
At present, Merivale Road in this area does not have special facilities on the roadway to accommodate cycling, such as separate or shared use lanes or signs for cycling use nor is it identified as a cycling route. On the other hand, Viewmount Drive has wide shared-use lanes and is identified as a cycling route on a minor road.
As with the estimation for pedestrian volumes on Merivale Road that employs a balance between two traffic surveys, the existing cyclist volumes are estimated in the same way. Approximately 20 northbound cyclists and 18 southbound cyclists travel across the frontage of the shopping centre over an eight-hour period. Along Viewmount Drive approximately 20 westbound and 15 eastbound cyclists were recorded during this period.
Transit
This area along Merivale Road is well served by transit with three regular north-south bus routes (#176, #116, #111) with stops directly in front of both the Merivale Mall and the proposed First Viewmount Shopping Centre. Along Viewmount Drive, two regular routes are provided (#3, #156) along with a peak period route (#57) with stops within convenient walking distance.
Except for the peak period route, which runs on weekdays at 30-minute headways, all of the regular routes provide daily bus service with headways ranging from 15 minutes during the peak hours to 30 minutes in the off-peak hours.
Automobiles
As previously mentioned, Merivale Road is an urban, four-lane, undivided roadway across the frontage of the Merivale Mall and the proposed First Viewmount Shopping Centres. Two traffic lanes in each direction comprise the approaches to the intersection with the Merivale Mall driveway. Northbound, the lane adjacent to the centre line provides a combined through and left-turn movement while in the southbound direction, the lane adjacent to the curb provides a combined through and right-turn movement. The eastbound approach to this signalized intersection consists of two left-turn lanes and a single right-turn lane.
At the intersection of Merivale Road and Viewmount Drive, the northbound approach maintains one left-turn lane, two through lanes and, one right-turn lane. Southbound on Merivale Road, two through lanes and one left-turn lane approach the intersection with Viewmount Drive. Eastbound and westbound on Viewmount Drive a left-turn lane and a combined through and right-turn lane approach Merivale Road.
The results of an eight hour traffic survey carried out on Tuesday, 22 May 2001 at Merivale and Merivale Mall and again the following day on Wednesday, 23 May 2001 at the intersection of Merivale and Viewmount indicate a balanced volume of approximately 15,300 vehicles southbound and 14,900 northbound vehicles that travel on this section of Merivale Road over a 24-hour period. During this same time period, about 4,000 eastbound motorists exit from the Merivale Mall driveway to travel on Merivale Road.
From 1 January 1999 to 31 December 2001, 33 automobile collisions were reported at the intersection of the Merivale Mall Shopping Centre Access and Merivale Road. Within this same time period on the mid-block section between the Merivale Mall access and Viewmount Drive, 13 collisions were reported on Merivale Road.
Design Proposal
In addition to the construction of the previously mentioned road link that is currently under review in the Environmental Assessment process, Merivale Road will require modifications to accommodate the proposed shopping centre development. These intended changes to the roadway consist of the following geometric and operational features.
· Widen the existing roadway on both sides along the frontage of the site to accommodate northbound and southbound shared-use curb lanes.
· Construct a median on Merivale Road from the termination of the existing median located 115 m north of the Merivale Mall access south to Viewmount Drive.
· Develop northbound and southbound left-turn lanes at the Merivale Mall/Link Road intersection.
These proposed modifications are illustrated in Document 4.
Pedestrians
The existing 1.5 m sidewalk along both sides of Merivale Road along the frontage of the site will be increased in width to 2.0 m.
The current east-west pedestrian crossing prohibition on the north side of the Merivale Mall shopping centre access will be rescinded. At the reconstructed intersection, pedestrians will be able cross Merivale Road on both sides of the Merivale Mall/Link Road.
Bicycles
The northbound and southbound curb lanes along the frontage of the development will be widened to provide a shared-use, bicycle/automobile facility.
Transit
Regular and peak period transit service will be maintained along this section of Merivale Road. Additional bus service will be provided if it is warranted.
Automobiles
As previously
described, the roadway modifications to Merivale Road include the provision of
a northbound and southbound left-turn lane into the existing Merivale Mall and
the proposed link road.
CONFORMITY TO THE TRANSPORTATION MASTER PLAN
The guiding
principle from the Transportation Master Plan (TMP) is the provision of a modal
hierarchy with the emphasis on walking, cycling and transit usage. This principle is reflected in the following
design features.
- The widening of the existing sidewalk on
both sides of Merivale Road conforms to paragraph 2.2.3. item 3 of the
TMP.
- The current pedestrian crossing prohibition
on the north side of the existing Merivale Mall driveway will be rescinded
allowing those on foot wishing to cross Merivale Road more mobility
options. This conforms to
paragraph 2.2.2 of the TMP.
- The provision of widened shared-use curb
lanes on both sides of Merivale Road along the frontage of the shopping
centres conforms to paragraph 2.3.2. item 3 of the TMP.
CONSULTATION
As required under the Municipal Act of Ontario regarding public hearings, a notice of the proposed Merivale Road modifications has been placed in Le Droit and the Ottawa Citizen for four consecutive weeks.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
Subject to Council approval, all costs associated with the roadway modifications are the responsibility of the owner/developer. The City will, in accordance with the legal agreement:
- Reimburse the owner/developer 33.3% of the total construction cost to a maximum of $100,000, upon the City’s verification of the owner/developer’s expenditures relating to the roadway modifications and the City’s satisfactory preliminary inspection of the roadwork; and,
- Retain financial securities until such time as the work is completed to the satisfaction of the City.
If required, additional maintenance costs will be identified in the 2003 Operating Budget.
Cost Estimates
The preliminary cost estimate for the roadway modifications is $300,000 based on the functional design. This estimate is provided solely for the information of the Transportation and Transit Committee and City Council.
Expenditure Justification
Motorists traveling along this portion of Merivale Road experience a much higher risk of being involved in a traffic collision when compared to similar road sections throughout the City of Ottawa. It is estimated that if the proposed roadwork was completed, the frequency of those identified collisions on this section of Merivale Road could be reduced by 90%. In economic terms, the savings to society through collision reduction has been conservatively estimated to be $45,440 annually and at least $279,900 (10% annual discount) over a ten-year period (assumed life of the safety improvements). This economic analysis and benefit-cost considerations are explained in detail in Document 5.
There are no plans at this time to rehabilitate this section of Merivale Road within the next five years, nor is it identified for upgrading and/or widening. In view of this, the prospects for road improvements are fairly remote in the short to mid-term; therefore, this would appear to be an ideal opportunity to provide a lengthy and substantial enhancement to traffic safety at a minimum cost to the City taxpayers. Should the City participate with the developer up to a maximum of $100,000 in the funding of these roadway safety improvements, over the space of ten years the residents of the City of Ottawa would recoup more than 2.5 times their investment through collision reduction alone.
Financial Statement
901875 900830
$ $
Approved Budget to Date 0 10,000,000
Total Paid and Committed (0) (8,347,446)
Balance Available 0 1,652,554
Additional Funding Required 100,000 (100,000)
Balance Remaining 100,000 1,552,554
Funds are available for transfer from order No. 900830, North/South Transportation Link, (reference page 103), 2001 Capital Budget in the amount of $100,000 bringing the revised total budget to $9,900,000 to order No. 901875, Merivale Road Modifications.
COMMENTS ON CYCLING
Mobility and Area Traffic Management Division has reviewed the roadway modifications on Baseline Road to accommodate the First Viewmount Shopping Centre development and have no comments.
ATTACHMENTS
Document 1 – Key Plan
Document 2 – Site Plan
Document 3 – Existing Roadway Geometry
Document 4 – Proposed Roadway Geometry
Document 5 – Economic Analysis And Benefit-Cost Considerations
DISPOSITION
Based on the approval of the traffic control signal installation, staff will be required to:
- Initiate and obtain design approval;
- Approve the conditions of the legal agreement and the amount and the provision of any financial securities that pertain to the project;
- Provide project management services;
- Authorize installation services and construction inspections; and,
- Recommend the reduction and/or release of financial securities.
Key Plan Document 1
Site Plan Document
2
Existing Roadway Geometry Document 3
Proposed Roadway Geometry Document 4
Economic Analysis and Benefit–Cost Considerations Document 5
Economic Analysis and Benefit-cost Considerations
for Merivale Road at the Merivale Mall and along the Frontage of the First
Viewmount Shopping Centre
Of the 46 collisions reported at the intersection of the Merivale Mall Shopping Centre and Merivale Road and along the frontage of the proposed First Viewmount Shopping Centre, 9 (20%) are categorized as preventable through the provision of left-turn lanes and the construction of a raised median. Over the years, the City has experienced a very high success rate with the implementation of these types of countermeasures. Should these modifications be provided on this section of road, at least 90% those identified collisions will not occur in the future.
There is an inherent cost to society with every traffic collision, which according to figures developed by the Ministry of Transportation Ontario amount to a province-wide average of $7,900 for a collision involving only property damage and an average of $34,700 for each collision involving an injury and/or fatality.
The following table provides a summary of the present value calculation used in this analysis in order to derive the annual traffic collision costs along this portion of Merivale Road. In addition, the table illustrates how much can be invested at this time in collision treatment with an eventual recuperation of this investment in a decade. Assuming a ten-year service life after the installation of these proposed collision countermeasures, and an annual discount rate of 10%, it is conservatively estimated that the minimum present value (2002 dollars) of the economic benefit to society totals $279,900.
Not only do these roadway modifications aid the developer
in providing a safe and efficient access to the site, which attracts customers,
they provide a net benefit to the over 32,000 persons that use this part of
Merivale Road each day. If the City
were willing to participate with the developer by investing $100,000 to improve
the safety of this road, in the space of ten years, the people of the City of
Ottawa would recoup more than 2.5 times their investment through collision
reduction.
Annual Average Cost of the Identified Preventable
Collisions on Merivale Road at the Merivale Mall Access and along the Frontage
of the First Viewmount Shopping Centre
Left-turn Lanes at the Merivale Mall Access
Total Property Damage Only Collisions (3 years) 6
Annual Frequency 2
Average Cost Per Collision $7,900
Total Cost $15,800
Collision Reduction Factor 0.9
Net Annual Cost $14,220
Total Injury Collisions (3 Years) 1
Annual Frequency 0.33
Average Cost Per Collision $34,700
Total Cost $11,450
Collision Reduction Factor 0.9
Net Annual Cost $10,300
Combined Net Annual Cost $24,520
Median on Merivale Between the Merivale Mall Access and Viewmount Drive
Total Property Damage Only Collisions (3 years) 0
Annual Frequency 0
Average Cost Per Collision 0
Total Cost 0
Collision Reduction Factor 0
Net Annual Cost 0
Total Injury Collisions (3 Years) 2
Annual Frequency 0.67
Average Cost Per Collision $34,700
Total Cost $23,250
Collision Reduction Factor 0.9
Net Annual Cost $20,920
Combined Net Annual Cost $20,920
Total Combined Net Annual Cost $45,440
Present Value Calculation
Minimum Present Value (P)
P = [(1+i) n-1 ÷ i(1+i) n]A
= (6.14)($45,440)
= $279,900
where: i = annual interest or discount rate of 10% (0.1)
n = 10 (number of time periods – 10 years)
A= annual cost ($45,440)