Client: City of Toronto
Services: Detailed Design, Contract Administration and Resident Site Inspection, Community Liaison, Post-Construction Services
There is something very special about how the Roncesvalles renewal came about, and I am very pleased to see that the beautiful results are being recognized...Roncesvalles Renewed intended for the Roncey reconstruction to set a new standard for all streets and we hope that it serves as a model for other communities, says the chair of the Beautification Committee for the Roncesvalles Village BIA.
Key Features:
- 7 km long road, TTC track reconstruction and streetscaping on Roncesvalles Avenue including new sewer and watermains, replacement of streetcar tracks, new sidewalks, removal of two lanes, integrated streetcar platforms, pavement reconstruction.
- Beautification Scope included new trees, wider sidewalks, new public spaces, new street furniture, and improved streetscape standards
This project included full depth road reconstruction and narrowing of Roncesvalles Avenue to provide gateway features, landscaping and providing wider sidewalks by narrowing pavement at select location and corner treatments.
The street was officially converted to two-lanes, which could be widened by absorbing some of the curb-lane parking width to accommodate bicycle sharrows.
The road reconstruction also embraced transit by integrating the streetcar route into the fabric of the sidewalk. Instead of placing concrete islands in the middle of the road, the Toronto Transit Commission or TTC’s transit platforms use the parking lane using “bumpouts”, the platforms extend the sidewalk to the tracks, so that transit riders can get on and off the cars without having to cross traffic. The platforms will also provide a flush surface for passengers boarding and dismounting low floor streetcars.
The project also involved TTC Track Reconstruction and extensive streetscaping through this established retail/commercial area. This necessitated close attention to continuous traffic management and extensive public and community liaison with the local business groups (BIA’s) and multiple stakeholders, all on an aggressive schedule to meet Infrastructure Stimulus Funding time lines.
In addition to the changes to the road, the plan called for replacing and widening the sidewalks (some of which were multilevel and had been a safety hazard for years); creating new public spaces, and planting trees in trenches along the sidewalk rather than in concrete planters.
