FAQs

We have had discussions about whether speed bumps are something that can be implemented permanently; however, it is a detailed design question and there are other means of introducing traffic calming that can be explored. Having barrier curb, as well as narrower lanes, is something we can do right away in the preliminary design to implement natural traffic calming.

Lane width will not be reduced to an unsafe point in winter or any other time. The standard lane width, used province-wide, reducing to 3.35 meters is only a small reduction from what's there now. The road grades will also not change drastically – making conditions no less safe than current conditions.

By introducing curbs and storm sewer, you would be able to eliminate the ditch. If someone is coming around that corner, the curb would likely help keep sliding cars on the road.

There isn’t much of an opportunity to change the road alignment or reduce the curve at the bottom of Prince Street, with the area’s existing features. The team will conduct sight line checks to ensure the curvature of the road is appropriate and in line with TAC guidelines.

The Town will look at alternatives in terms of traffic calming during the detailed design phase. There are a few options open to us that that would be part of the overall strategy. We will determine whether the speed bump will be retained, relocated, or removed, with input from the Town’s Transportation group, if it is not needed or not appropriate for the new reconstruction.

The need for retaining walls will be looked at as we get further into the grading design. Currently, we're not looking at any areas that will impact the grading substantially, requiring retaining walls.

In general, maintaining an open lane for traffic during road construction is typically achievable.

Currently, some parking occurs in the Town's right-of-way, basically on the shoulder, and with the introduction of curb that will probably not be possible. The intent in this area is to provide barrier curb and a pathway.

A photometric analysis will determine the minimum requirements to ensure adequate road and pathway lighting will be completed during the Detailed Design.

Regarding the pathway itself, the stone pathway will pretty much follow the current grade of the road. If the grade of the road is challenging to navigate, we'll do what we can to make the path accessible, while meeting design guidelines.

Access to Princess Lane is not part of this assignment, which is primarily focused on Prince Street.  The assessment of connectivity through Princess Lane is quite different depending on pathway location. It’s something we could look at in detailed design, if a pathway on the south side is carried forward as the preferred alternative.

Yes, that is correct.

The minimum sidewalk width is 1.5 meters, and a typical sidewalk width today is 1.8 meters. You would then have about a 0.5 meter boulevard between the back of curb and your sidewalk. So basically the 2.2 meter path is combining the 1.8 meter sidewalk and 0.5 meter boulevard, having the path meet the curb face and omitting the boulevard.

The minimum sidewalk width is 1.5 meters, and a typical sidewalk width today is 1.8 meters.

Without having gotten into Detailed Design yet, typically the walking path would be at the elevation of the top of curb, which is six inches or 150 millimeters higher than the than the roadway.

The stone path as per the alternatives that we're evaluating right now is consistent with the stone path at the Main Street intersection. The intent would be to carry on a similar pathway to match the aesthetic and function. There may be alternatives regarding material selection for the pathway (e.g., a smooth material that visually appears to be a stone pathway). Investigating further would be based on proceeding with the preferred alternative presented during the PIC and may be best suited to detailed design.

We appreciate your feedback. It will help inform the detailed design phase of the process. We will be looking at the location, closeness, and relative disturbance of the pathway construction on nearby homes. 

The team has looked at impacts to property as part of the alternatives evaluation, and inclusive in that is impact to the structure and the relative disturbance that we would create with each alternative. 

Part of detailed design would be looking into that with a much finer lens and establishing existing conditions and setting up monitoring where appropriate so that we are fully informed and have the information we need to properly plan for construction.

Please reach out to project staff through the Let’s Talk project page.

Some traffic calming alternatives that are available in addition to speed bumps are physically narrower lanes, barrier curb, edge lines, automated speed sign (radar feedback sign), traffic calming lane markings (e.g., transverse bars).

That is a personal preference whether you feel safe going down the hill. The intent is to build a path that meets all the guidelines and is considered safe for going up and down.  Riding pr walking a bicycle then becomes a personal preference.

Different cyclists will use these facilities. A standard road cyclist, one who's out to cover distances, is probably going to stay on the road. The expectation for cyclists using a path is more for children on bikes and someone who's not commuting by bike. We're aiming to provide a path that's wide enough for someone on a bike to pass by a pedestrian. Passing on a dedicated pathway off the road is much safer than trying to do the same thing while walking along the side of the road.

If there is a particular place where loading or unloading needs to occur the team may be able to make some accommodations during the Detailed Design in consultation with the property owner.

Public Information Centers (PIC) or Open House events are an opportunity for the public to comment and provide feedback. For this project, further comments following the PIC can be provided for 2 weeks. There will also be a period after the project report is filed when the full design package will be made public before Conceptual Design is complete. During Detailed Design, comments and feedback can be provided through Let’s Talk Halton Hills. A specific consultation plan for Detailed Design has not been decided at this time. 

It would be difficult to have that type of conversation at this stage because we are still selecting a design concept with which to proceed. The Detailed Design assignment will include a variety of detailed engineering assessments that will allow the team to develop the design and determine the impacts to individual property owners.

There is at least one property owner that will be affected, and we are at the stage in the process where we will be contacting them. The property owner should be approached before we finalize our design concept and file the report.  

Typically, if we’re going onto private property, we would reach out during the Class EA process, depending on the level of impact. If we're talking about minor grading in a grassed area, then typically that's something that doesn’t require early contact. If we’re planning to impact a retaining wall, or garden, or something of that nature, we would try to reach out to ensure the residents were made aware of what was what was going happen. If you review the full drawings, which are available on the Town Let’s Talk Halton Hills site, you will have a clearer picture of the impacts to prince Street residents.

The team has looked at impacts to property as part of the evaluation of alternatives, and part of that process is determining impacts to the structure and the relative disturbance that would be created with each alternative. Part of detailed design would be looking into that with a much finer lens and establishing existing conditions while setting up appropriate monitoring to be fully informed to properly plan for construction.

At this point we are trying to establish which alternative has the minimal amount of impact while still achieving all the objectives of the assignment. In this case, we have an alternative that minimizes that impact and, in most cases, doesn't extend beyond what is already paved. As far as the shoulder goes, we're aiming to match as best we can throughout the corridor. So, in a lot of cases, we're not planning to make the shoulder wider.

TAC refers to the Transportation Association of Canada (TAC). TAC provides a set of guidelines that engineers across the province and the country use for design.

In general, the design will follow Town of Halton Hills design standards, Transportation Association of Canada (TAC) guidelines, and Ontario Provincial Standards.

The intent is for construction to be completed within a single construction season. Prince Street construction is currently anticipated in 2025, with Detailed Design commencing later this year.

Storm sewer design has not yet begun at this stage of the process. It will start once the preferred alternative and cross section is confirmed. The storm alignment will be laid out at that time.

Princess Lane is currently outside of this assignment’s scope. The Town is considering including Princess Lane in the scope of the Prince Street Reconstruction Detailed Design assignment.