Transcript Conceptual Master Plan & Design

Amanda Gebhardt
BLA, OALA
Guelph Trans Canada Trail
Rail with Trail Design & Construction
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

Risk and Safety Audit by third party.

Public Consultation

Detailed Design & Approvals

Build it…
◦ 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)
◦ Assess preferred location of trail, access points, and desire for view
screening.
◦ Address physical limits of slopes and drainage.
◦ Incorporate safety guidelines.
◦ Negotiate flexibility between desire and cost.
◦ With all the complications that could possibly and unpredictably
arise.
Process
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

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

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
Safety
Big Picture:
Train vs. User
Short Term:
Train vs. Contractor Employees
Train vs. Site Works (Excavation, etc.)
Determined Users vs. Construction Process
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

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

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
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.

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
Thank you!
Guelph Trans Canada Trail
Rail with Trail Design & Construction