Laure Hull –
Ontario Street, from Carlton to Wellesley Street, will get a facelift next summer. In a community consultation on May 7, Paul Young and Robert Mays from the city’s Transportation Services presented proposed street improvements to Ward 13 Councillor Chris Moise and residents.
The city is already planning to resurface the road, construct new sewers, and replace the city-owned portion of water service connections along Ontario Street in 2025. Transportation Services’ Neighbourhood Projects team is developing streetscape designs.
The plan is to replace the existing sidewalk with flexible rubber panels made from recycled tires to accommodate movement and tree roots. “Where roots are very close to the surface, we’ll have these heavy panels of rubber,” said Young. “They [will be better than] concrete because we don’t have the depth to get concrete in there without digging up the trees.”
To maintain tree health along the street, some trees and planters will need to be replaced. New trees will be planted in new planters, space permitting. The boulevard next to the sidewalk will be repaved with a permeable material that lets rainwater go into the ground, “reducing stormwater and providing a healthier environment for trees and plants,” said Young.
Some of Ontario Street’s tree planters to be replaced next year. Photo: Google Maps
To reduce asphalt along the boulevard, Young and Mays suggested flowers or turfstone to beautify the space, although adjacent residents would have to maintain the flowers.
Other improvements include adding a small garden island separating car lanes and bike lanes, which the Cabbagetown BIA and the city would maintain. New bike lanes could be added from Wellesley Street East and Winchester Street connecting to existing lanes further down Ontario Street and Winchester.
Options affecting drivers include making car travel bi-directional (Ontario Street is currently one-way), changing parking locations, and protecting the bike lane to calm traffic coming off Wellesley Street.
The design is to be completed by the fall of this year, with construction starting in 2025. All “underground works” are to be completed in 2025, while all “road works” are to be completed in the spring of 2026, according to the presentation.
Resident feedback at the meeting focused on the size of planters, the direction of traffic, sustainability of the permeable boulevard paving, and the number of trees being removed or planted.
Councillor Moise asked about the longevity of the rubber sidewalks; Young said they have a lifespan of decades. Moise also suggested adding colour and variation to the planter designs
