Stage 2 ION: Light Rail Transit (LRT) from Kitchener to Cambridge
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PLANNING, HOUSING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES PLANNING, HOUSING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES Stage 2 ION: Light Rail Transit (LRT) from Kitchener to Cambridge PLANNING, HOUSING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES Public Consultation Centre No. 4 Holiday Inn - Kitchener May 8, 2018 4 to 8 p.m. Preston Memorial Auditorium May 9, 2018 4 to 8 p.m. Hamilton Family Theatre May 10, 2018 4 to 8 p.m. Public Information Package May 2018 PLANNING, HOUSING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES PLANNING, HOUSING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES Table of contents Section Page 1.0 .........Light Rail Transit in Waterloo Region ........................................1 PLANNING, HOUSING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES 2.0 .........Why are we here? .....................................................................1 3.0 .........How will my input be used? .....................................................1 4.0 .........What did we hear at the last Public Consultation ..............Centre (PCC No. 3)? .................................................................1 5.0 .........How were the route options chosen? .......................................2 5.1 .....Preliminary potential route (2017) ............................................2 5.2 .....Project team preliminary proposed route (2018) ......................2 5.3 .....Evaluation process ....................................................................3 5.4 .....Evaluation criteria .....................................................................3 5.5 .....Project team .............................................................................5 5.6 .....Evaluation results – Project Team Preliminary ..........Proposed Route (2018) .............................................................6 6.0 .........Map: Project Team Preliminary Proposed Route (2018) ...........7 7.0 .........How do the 2017 and 2018 routes differ? ................................8 8.0 .........Cost estimate of project team preliminary proposed route .....8 9.0 .........What are the next steps? ..........................................................8 9.1 .....Preliminary design ....................................................................9 9.2 .....Business case ............................................................................9 9.3 .....Transit project assessment process ........................................10 9.4 .....Public consultation .................................................................10 10.0 .......How do I stay involved? .........................................................10 11.0 .......Contact information ...............................................................10 Appendices: A – Route Map Alternatives by Segment B – Evaluation Results C – Property Impact Identification Process Information Sheet • ION project website: regionofwaterloo.ca/rapidtransit • www.stage2ION.ca • Phone: 519-575-4400 ext. 3461 • /rideION • TTY: 519-575-4608 • @rideIONrt • Email: [email protected] • /rideION PLANNING, HOUSING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES PLANNING, HOUSING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES 2.0 Why are we here? The Region of Waterloo is continuing the PLANNING, HOUSING AND detailed planning, and consultation process for COMMUNITYStage SERVICES 2 ION: Stage 2 ION: LRT from Kitchener to Cambridge LRT from Kitchener (Stage 2 ION). Public input is an essential and to Cambridge ongoing component of this process. The purpose of Public Consultation Centre No. 4 is to: Public Consultation Centre No. 4 • Hear your feedback • Provide an overview of comments received at PCC No. 3 and how these have provided Public Information Package input to the route evaluation process • Explain how the alternative routes were compared in the various segments 1.0 Light Rail Transit in Waterloo Region • Present the Project Team Preliminary In June 2011, Region of Waterloo Council Proposed Route (2018) approved a staged approach to Light Rail Transit (LRT) from Waterloo to Cambridge. In 3.0 How will my input be used? 2014, Regional Council awarded GrandLinq the contract to design, build, finance, operate, Your comments will be used to: and maintain Stage 1 ION LRT. Stage 1 • Identify issues that need further consideration ION (currently in testing) includes LRT from during the preliminary design stage Kitchener to Waterloo and ION bus service between Cambridge and Kitchener (launched • Verify study area conditions and constraints, September 2015). Stage 1 LRT is expected to as input to reduce impacts launch in 2018. 4.0 What have did we hear at the last Public Stage 2 ION will see the ION bus service Consultation Centre (PCC No. 3)? replaced by LRT, creating a continuous LRT system across the Region’s three urban • Overall support for the project and benefits centres. LRT will bring to the Region, some questions about need For more information on the background and history of Rapid Transit in the Region please • Concerns regarding property impacts and refer to The ION Story handout, available at timing for when details will be shared this Public Consultation Centre and online • More written support for an LRT station in www.regionofwaterloo.ca/rapidtransit. Preston compared to PCC No. 2 1 PLANNING, HOUSING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES PLANNING, HOUSING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES • Concerns over property impacts on Beverley ideas from the public and from stakeholders. Street with S3a and S3b but support for S3c Refined route alternatives were presented in and S3d options to integrate and revitalize three areas: PLANNING,the HOUSING Mill AND Creek area COMMUNITY SERVICES • In the Kitchener segment, between the • Concerns about disruption to traffic and approved River Road Extension and the businesses during construction Highway 8/King Street interchange. • Support for multi-modal transit hub for • In the North Cambridge segment, between terminal location and investigation into T2 Highway 401 and Eagle Street near Hespeler and T3 alternative locations and interest in Road. In this area, considerable input has how the bus service will integrate with LRT been received from local residents and the public, and these were also gathered 5.0 How were the route options chosen? and added for consideration. A screening process was applied to focus on refinements 5.1 Preliminary Potential Route (2017) and additional routes that; The project team started with the 2011 minimized travel time by providing a direct Council endorsed route. A number of connection between the Sportsworld and alternative routes were added and presented Pinebush stations to the public at PCC No. 1 in November Traveled through Preston with a station in 2015. Following a review of the comments the vicinity of King and Eagle received the routes were screened for feasibility based on physical constraints and Reduced property and environmental engineering considerations. The project team impacts compared to the 2017 Preliminary compared the remaining routes using the Potential Route. evaluation criteria in Section 5.4 to identify • In the South Cambridge segment, between the Preliminary Potential Route, which was Dundas Street and Downtown Cambridge, presented to the public at PCC No. 2 in including alternative locations for the February and March of 2017. terminal LRT station. An additional alternative, called Alternative 5.2 Project Team Preliminary Proposed “J”, was brought forward by a specific group of Route (2018) residents. This alternative extends from the River At PCC No. 2, many comments were received Road Extension to Eagle Street east of Preston. about the Preliminary Potential Route (2017), This alternative was modified by the project team including both support and concerns. In to remove impact on the cemetery area west response, the project team added several of Fountain Street and the Hydro transmission route alternatives for further investigation. An corridor parallel to Highway 8. additional round of public consultation, PCC Following PCC No. 3, the project team screened No. 3, was held in November 2017 and January the routes presented, along with additional 2018 to review these and gather more route 2 PLANNING, HOUSING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES PLANNING, HOUSING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES routes brought forward by the public, for 5.3 Evaluation Process engineering considerations and environmental To assess each route alternative’s ability to constraints that pose obstacles to construction or meet project objectives while minimizing PLANNING,implementation HOUSING AND of the final system. Based on the COMMUNITY SERVICES its impacts, a set of evaluation criteria, or screening process several route alternatives were measures, were identified early in the project. eliminated from further consideration. A final These evaluation criteria are based on the group of route alternatives were compared using Regional Official Plan objectives and fall the evaluation criteria in Section 5.4. The route under four categories: Transportation, Social/ alternatives were evaluated in segments with cultural environment, Natural environment and the exception of Alternative “J”. As Alternative Economic environment. “J” crosses both the Kitchener and South Cambridge segments, it was evaluated against The project team, which includes specialized the alternative from each of these two segments technical experts from a variety of fields, carried that performed the best. Maps showing the out an analysis of how well each route meets alternatives evaluated in each segment are the evaluation criteria objectives. shown in Appendix A. The criteria were used together with what we heard from the public,