Frank St. redesign part of plan for new bridge
Frank St. redesign part of plan for new bridge
Trent Hills will pay to rebuild the street which will be blocked by the Second St. bridge
Trent Hills is starting the preliminary work it must do as part of the construction of the Hector Macmillan Bridge by Northumberland County.
Final design for that bridge, called the Trent River Crossing by the county, had been expected by the end of 2023, but the county now says it will be ready by the end of this year.
“Northumberland County continues to target launch of construction for the Trent River Crossing between 2025 and 2027,” a spokesperson said. “The project team anticipates releasing the final design by the end of this year. The final design package will include the plan for sequence of construction work. Once underway, this extensive construction project will take place over a two- to three-year period.”
At its meeting on Tuesday, May14, Trent Hills Council approved spending $267,000 for a consulting firm to do engineering and design work on the reconstruction of Frank St., which will be necessary when the Second St. bridge is built.
Frank St. is currently one-way with access off Second St., but the eastern end of the Macmillan bridge will block that roadway. So, the plan is to turn Frank St. into a two-way street with a cul-de-sac at the Second St. end.
Councillor Rick English noted that the street is very narrow and asked whether there will be room for two-way traffic.
Neil Allanson, Manager of Roads and Urban Services, said the roadway will be wide enough because there will only be a sidewalk on the west side, which will add 1.5 metres to the road space. As well, there will be no on-street parking.
In addition to changes to the road, the municipality will replace the sewer and water pipes.
The report to council explains: “The street will be converted to a two-way street featuring complete urbanization, including storm, water, and sanitary systems, curbs, gutters, road, and sidewalk (on one side only) extending to the cul-de-sac. The intersection of Frank Street and Saskatoon Street will also be redesigned and aligned to improve sight lines and to meet current intersection designs.”
The report says, “Northumberland County is responsible for the construction of the cul-de-sac at the south end of Frank Street and Second Street intersection and any changes on Second Street, including the sidewalk, water, sanitary and storm from Front Street south to Saskatoon Street. Trent Hills is responsible for the design and integration of the full street urbanization on Frank Street from the cul-de-sac to Saskatoon Avenue and Saskatoon Avenue from Frank Street to Trent Drive, which includes, (storm, water, sanitary, curb, gutter, road, and sidewalk).”
Frank St. “currently has a combined sewer system dating back to 1930 that needs separation,” the report says. “The road surface requires replacement due to deterioration from historical water and sewer breaks, with the asphalt well past its life expectancy.”
The county will pay for work under the bridge, including sewer and water lines. Saskatoon Ave. will go under the new bridge.
Councillor Daniel Giddings asked whether the municipality’s work was being co-ordinated with the county. Allanson said doing the design work now will allow the municipality to include the cost of this project in its 2025 and 2026 budgets and will ensure that “we know what to do” to match the county’s work.
English asked whether the county was compensating the town for this work and Allanson responded no.
You can read more and see the county’s bridge plans here on its website.
