The collaborative project among the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara Region and the Ministry of Transportation to redesign the Glendale QEW interchange is steadily moving forward.
Representatives from the region and the ministry made a presentation to the urban design committee last Tuesday providing updates on the project which is at the procurement stage for design and construction.
Ministry senior project engineer Hossein Hosseini noted the concept designs shown at the meeting could still be changed depending on the final submission by a successful design builder who is expected to be hired sometime in June.
The scope of the project involves reconstructing the QEW and Glendale Avenue interchange into a so-called diverging diamond interchange. This involves building a loop ramp and a connection road from Glendale Avenue to York Road and the Airport Road intersection, and extending the right-turning lane of Glendale Avenue between Taylor Road and Niagara on the Green Boulevard.
There will also be a new community carpool lot with 100 parking spaces at the northwest quadrant of the interchange, a single-lane roundabout at Glendale Avenue and York Road and pavement repairs on the QEW, in both directions, from the east end of the Garden City Skyway bridge about three kilometres to the split point of Highway 405.
The new interchange will diverge traffic on Glendale to the left-hand side of the road through two cross-over intersections, allowing the left-turning traffic to access QEW without waiting for traffic signals or oncoming traffic, Hosseini said at the meeting.
“This improves the safety of the intersection and also the functionality of it from a vehicle movement perspective by reducing the number of conflict points from 26 to 14,” Hosseini said.
The new interchange will be the first in Ontario and third in Canada, with the other two located in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
With the proposed roundabout at Glendale Avenue and York Road, there are opportunities for installing decorative street lighting and plantings, said Carolyn Ryall, regional director of transportation services.
The additional features, such as sidewalks or multi-use paths, will also help connect the community and promote active transportation, she said.
In regard to the loop ramp and a connection road, the intersection at York Road and Airport Road will be extended to provide access to the carpool lot and bike parking as well as a direct connection to the new interchange.
Construction will be divided into five stages and is scheduled to start in 2021.
There will be temporary lane, sidewalk and driveway closures from time to time but businesses in the area will remain open throughout the construction period.
The interchange is expected to be open for use in November 2022.
Traffic will be kept open during construction, however, there will be lane restrictions which will result in delays, according to the regional website.
The construction is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2023.