Guelph Trans Canada Trail Rail with Trail Design & Construction

1. Amanda Gebhardt BLA, OALA Guelph Trans Canada TrailRail with Trail Design & Construction

2. Completing the Missing Link… • Part of the regional trail connection • Identified in the Guelph Trails Master Plan as an important link connecting the Downtown to Riverside Park & Regional Trails. • A route informally used for generations by pedestrians & cyclist for commuting and leisure. • A challenge left to the last • Full of complex and unknown variables, many safety and functional issues had to be addressed in legitimizing the route for use. • Few precedents for Trails with Rail, one of the first of its kind in Canada. • MMM Group was hired to tackle the design and construction challenges in 2007. Project Background

3. Risk and Safety Audit by third party. • Determine acceptable means of integrating trail users and crossings within the rail corridor. • Identify issues specific to the Guelph Junction Rail Corridor (frequency of use, train speeds, liability & insurance) • Public Consultation • Assess preferred location of trail, access points, and desire for view screening. • Detailed Design & Approvals • Address physical limits of slopes and drainage. • Incorporate safety guidelines. • Negotiate flexibility between desire and cost. • Build it… • With all the complications that could possibly and unpredictably arise. Process

4. Offset elevation of Trail & Rail to increase separation. Design a Barrier Fence that keeps people on the trail, but allows access on to the trail for stragglers. Assess impact of alignment – costs vs. human desires/needs. Marrying use patterns with safety & liability. Design Approach

5. NIMBY & Squatting • “We want a trail now, but please build it over there.” • Addressing a history of parking, storage, property access and encroaching structures. • Tight Spaces • Creating proper rail crossing geometry in a narrow space. • “So you can’t shift that apartment building for me?” • Introducing retaining walls & infill to former drainage swales. • Approvals • Determining what approvals are needed. • Involving various agencies and developing partnerships. Challenges

6. Readying the Public • Transitioning perceptions from large scale planning process to the actual impact and physical needs of construction. • Sometimes you just need to stake out the alignment and take the neighbours for a walk. • Dealing with Encroachment • Re-establishing property boundaries. • When to push and when to walk away. • The benefits and consequences of compromise. • Screening Provisions • Who gets what and how much? • Protecting Privacy and Mitigating Trespassing • When it is wanted? • Establishing an ongoing dialoge from design through implementation. Public-Private Interface

7. Safety Big Picture: Train vs. User Short Term: Train vs. Contractor Employees Train vs. Site Works (Excavation, etc.) Determined Users vs. Construction Process

8. Until the barrier fence was erected, a railway flagman had to be on site at all times. $$ Two long retaining walls needed to be installed in tight spaces between the rail bed and private properties. Coordinating & developing an installation method for fencing that would allow for a clean finish between posts and footings. Building the Trail

9. Scheduling • Preparation works - clearing & removals. • Getting a barrier up asap. • Limits of Equipment & Space • Excavating & building with no where to go. • Site Security • Keeping people out is full time job. • Termites • Transferring cut and fill. • Removals. • Public concern and perception. • Negotiating Access & Storage • Railway corridors don’t always offer enough space for staging and storage. • Agreements with landowners and provisions for remedying borrowed space. Challenges

10. Over Excavation • A long history of using the back of the properties as a garbage pile resulted in layers of unstable soil. • Added time to schedule. • Storm Water Volumes • City snow storage practices along the trail. • Unique season of winter rains and impermeable frozen soil. • Adjustments to corridor storage swales and street infrastructure were a late addition to keep trail from icing and neighbours dry. • Perceived Protected Green Space • Place of interment? • Unsavory Activities • Infrequent and informal use encourages illicit activities, another reason a formal trail was being welcomed in this area. • Bio-hazards and electrocution are sometimes things you have to work around. Unforeseen Obstacles

11. Successes It has been a long wait for residents, but now that they have their trail they are taking advantage of it. The trail is heavily use for leisure and commuter purposes. Once a favorite place to explore, now a safe and accessible part of an active daily routine.

12. If we were to do it all again…. • Clearly identify and establish parameters for management of adjacent land owners early in the process. • More public consultation during the design process and directly making contact with all adjacent property owners. • Design a fence system that can be installed (partially or in full) prior to other site works. It may not always be possible, however the flagging cost savings are huge. Lessons Learned

13. Thank you! Guelph Trans Canada TrailRail with Trail Design & Construction