Silvercreek Parkway North reconstruction

You are correct, this project was originally planned to commence in May 2023.  The scope and schedule of this project have been revised and the portion of the work proposed from Woodlawn Road to Campbell Road is anticipated to commence in July 2023.  The second phase of this project, Campbell Road to Speedvale Ave W, is anticipated to start in Spring 2024.

Thank you for noting concerns about pedestrian safety and access in the area of the plaza on Silvercreek Parkway North between Speedvale Avenue and Willow Road. Your comments have been shared with Transportation Planning staff, who will be reviewing and commenting on the proposed development at 111-193 Silvercreek Parkway North once it comes forward as a Site Plan Application.

The multi-use pathways will only go as far south as Speedvale Road as part of this project. There are currently bike lanes on Silvercreek Parkway North from Speedvale Avenue to Willow Road, and bike lanes are also planned for installation during 2023 on Silvercreek Parkway North from Willow Road to Paisley Road.  Thank you for sharing your comment about feeling unsafe to cycle in this area. Many residents of our city want to feel more comfortable and secure when cycling in Guelph, and we recognize that cycling facilities that are fully separated from vehicle traffic, such as cycle tracks or multi-use paths, offer the best level of comfort for people to cycle. In response, we are developing plans for a protected cycling network that will connect large parts of our community and help all riders feel comfortable biking along key streets in Guelph. Silvercreek Parkway North is part of the planned Cycling Spine Network under Guelph’s new 2022 Transportation Master Plan. This means that in the future, the bike lanes on Silvercreek Parkway will be upgraded to become protected cycling facilities suitable for all ages and abilities (AAA). To find out more about the Transportation Master Plan please visit: https://guelph.ca/plans-and-strategies/transportation-master-plan/tmp-documents/.

The County may have a different approach to cycling facilities than the City of Guelph. The City will communicate to the County that they have received communications requesting cycling facilities, however, the choice to implement the facilities or not is ultimately up to the County.

The section of Silvercreek Parkway North from Woodlawn Road to City Limits is planned to be rehabilitated in 2023 as part of the City's Annual Asphalt program. During this work there will be additional width added to the asphalt surface to provide bike lanes for the entire length section. The 2023 Annual Asphalt contract has not yet been awarded so the specifics of the timeline for implementation have not been determined at this point.

Thank you for your comment. The City is strongly in support of increasing our tree canopy and providing more comfortable spaces for those travelling on our active transportation network. Unfortunately due to space constraints between the roadway, ditches and hydro poles there is not much opportunity to include trees along the multi-use paths. There is opportunity to add trees on the back side of the ditch and this possibility is being reviewed with Urban Forestry to identify what the optimal locations for trees would be behind the ditches and away from hydro lines. 

Hi FConibear,

Thank you for the question. The potential to add boulevard trees, especially to our active transportation corridors, has been a topic in design discussions throughout the City. Unfortunately for this project there are several constraints that prevent this option from being feasible. Most importantly, the overhead hydro lines on the west side of the road prevent us from planting any trees due to the potential interference with the utility. Additionally on both sides of the road there are currently large drainage ditches which take up a significant portion of the existing right-of-way, with buried utilities on both sides of the ditches. In order to provide enough space for boulevard trees between the multi-use path and the roadway it would be necessary to enclose these ditches in a major storm sewer system, which would expand the scope of the project significantly to the point where it would become infeasible to complete this work within the allotted timeframe. Boulevard trees will continue to be considered on other projects to increase the City's canopy and continue to improve our public spaces.

Hi JluvBiking,

A multi-use pathway is a form of active transportation infrastructure that provides space for pedestrians and cyclists to both use as mixed traffic. Multi-use pathways are built using asphalt with a 3 metre wide platform. This form of AT infrastructure is typically used in locations where the amount of pedestrian and cycling traffic is low enough that the two modes can reasonably share the path without too many conflicts.

The Silvercreek Multi-Use Pathways will be in the same style as the Woodlawn Multi-Use Pathways and will connect at the Silvercreek and Woodlawn intersection, allowing for smooth connection between the two paths and creating a separated active transportation connection between the Woodlawn Multi-Use Pathways and the Silvercreek Parkway bike lanes south of the Speedvale Avenue West intersection. This will create a nearly continuous cycling connection from the Woodlawn Road Multi-Use Pathway system to downtown via Silvercreek Parkway North, Willow Road, Edinburgh Road, London Road, Woolwich Street and Norfolk Street.

Silvercreek MUP will have paint markings and signage installed to help identify entrance crossings. Transportation Planning staff will look into the options for public education communications later in 2023 in-phase with the completion of the new infrastructure.