Major Mackenzie Drive Schedule 'C' Environmental Assessment Study
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Major Mackenzie Drive Schedule ‘C’ Environmental Assessment Study From McNaughton Road / Avro Road to Keele Street Regional Municipality of York December 20, 2018 From McNaughton Road / Avro Road to Keele Street east for the horizon year of 2020. A future EA study will assess long-term transportation needs, Executive Summary including capacity and multi-modal improvements to the corridor. In particular, the EA study: Introduction Reviewed existing conditions and operational challenges along this section of Major Mackenzie The Regional Municipality of York (York Region) has completed a Schedule “C” Municipal Class Drive Environmental Assessment (EA) study to review the short-term transportation operational needs Identified opportunities for improvement and possible solutions along Major Mackenzie Drive West (referred to as Major Mackenzie Drive for the purpose of this Investigated and recommended alternative designs for the preferred solution report), from McNaughton Road / Avro Road to Keele Street in the City of Vaughan. Collected, documented and assessed input and feedback from residents and affected groups York Region is responsible for monitoring its transportation network and implementing required within the study area improvements in a timely manner. Concerns raised regarding traffic operations on Major Mackenzie Drive within the study limits included challenging access to and from businesses, congestion, queuing Study Area and need for pedestrian crossings. These issues led York Region to investigate short-term (2020) The study area is 1.4 km long and is bounded by McNaughton Road/Avro Road to the west and operational improvements for the corridor. A future EA study will assess the long-term transportation Keele Street to the east, in the Village of Maple, located in the City of Vaughan. Major Mackenzie needs (as recommended by the YR-TMP 25-year outlook), including capacity and multi-modal Drive within the study limits is currently a 4-lane urban arterial road with a posted speed limit of 50 improvements. km/h. The street intersects McNaughton Road / Avro Road, Killian Road / Netherford Road, Gram York Region retained HDR to conduct the Major Mackenzie Drive Class EA study. This Street, Jackson Street and Keele Street. Environmental Study Report (ESR) documents the study consultation and decision making rationale, This section of Major Mackenzie Drive is characterized by a combination of low-rise residential, following the process outlined in the Municipal Engineers Association (MEA) Municipal Class EA mixed-use, commercial as well as institutional buildings and has a number of closely spaced guidelines for Schedule ’C’ projects (October 2000, as amended in 2007, 2011 and 2015). driveways. The study area is presented visually. The study area crosses the West Don River tributary. Due to the poor structural condition of the culvert at that location, replacement of the structure (ID 25-18 C1180) was recommended. On account of the emergency nature of the culvert replacement, this work is being conducted separately from the Major Mackenzie Drive Schedule “C” EA study in consultation with the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, Toronto Region Conservation Authority and City of Vaughan. The culvert replacement is being undertaken as a Schedule “A” Class EA study. Background This EA study builds on the recommendations from the Region’s 2015 Traffic Operations Assessment * Memorandum which had previously been conducted to determine an appropriate solution to improve traffic operations on Major Mackenzie Drive. The EA reconfirms the previous analysis findings, reviews the needs and justification more closely in terms of corridor-specific constraints, and * West Don River Crossing proceeding under separate EA – Schedule A evaluates alternative solutions and designs to address the existing issues along Major Mackenzie Drive. Active transportation, access modifications and new pedestrian facilities were also examined to The corridor was divided into three segments (west, central, and east) to develop a preferred improve conditions for all travel modes. alternative design concept while taking into consideration existing conditions and the localized constraints of each identified segment. The segment limits were generally defined and characterized Study Purpose by existing and planned built form (intersecting streets, properties/land use and associated access) and existing right-of-way for the purposes of generating alternative design concepts and evaluation. York Region was notified by the City of Vaughan of a number of operational issues in the study corridor, including challenging access to and from the land uses on either side of Major Mackenzie Drive, and heavy through traffic and queuing, particularly in the eastbound direction at Keele Street. The purpose of the Class EA study was to determine specific short-term transportation improvements to Major Mackenzie Drive between McNaughton Road/Avro Road to the west and Keele Street to the December 20, 2018 | ES-1 From McNaughton Road / Avro Road to Keele Street West Segment - McNaughton/Avro Road to Gram Street Needs Assessment The needs assessment involves the identification and evaluation of short-term needs of the transportation network with respect to accommodating all users (pedestrians, cyclists, transit users, and motorists). The purpose of the Needs Assessment is to identify and define conditions, safety, and operational needs along Major Mackenzie Drive between McNaughton Road/Avro Road and Keele Street. Transportation Needs The available ROW is approximately 36m The boulevard is wider on the north side A summary of transportation needs for the Major Mackenzie Drive corridor is summarized below: Limited access points fronting onto the street Driving Under existing conditions, all signalized intersections within the study area are operating near Raised centre roadway median in front of the plaza or over the available capacity during peak periods. The conditions are worse at the Major Utility poles are located primarily on the south side; street lights on the north Mackenzie Drive and Keele Street signalized intersection where the overall level of service West Don River tributary crossing (LOS) is ‘F’ during the weekday AM and PM peak hours. Generally, traffic operations appear Central Segment Gram Street to Jackson Street to be worse in the afternoon compared to the morning peak period. Extensive queuing was observed in the segment between Keele Street and Killian Road/Netherford Road, especially in the eastbound direction, resulting from the high volumes of eastbound-through trips at Keele Street. Because of the existing congestion and the abundance of access points along Major Mackenzie Drive, vehicles attempting to enter or exit the various driveways are often unable to do so immediately. They must wait for gaps in opposing traffic, blocking vehicular flow and further exacerbating congestion along the study area. Traffic conditions are not anticipated to The available ROW varies between 25-28m change significantly by 2020 due to the minimal growth in the study area. The boulevard is wider on the north side The analysis of the five-year collision record (2009-2013) did not indicate any unusual Numerous closely spaced driveways collision rates within the study area limits. The highest collision rate was observed at the Located within the Village of Maple Heritage Conservation District McNaughton Road/Avro Road intersection and in the segment spanning Jackson Street to Utility poles/street lights located primarily on the south side adjacent to the road Keele Street. Existing congestion on Major Mackenzie Drive during peak periods may East Segment Jackson Street to Keele Street increase motorist’s potential exposure to collisions. Conflicting pedestrian activities in the area may become a greater safety issue as the area develops in the future. Walking The look, feel, and function of the study corridor changes along its length as does the level of comfort experienced by pedestrians. Overall, the pedestrian experience could be improved as Major Mackenzie Drive receives for the most part a ‘D’ score, according to the multi-modal level of service analysis performed. Generally, the north side of Major Mackenzie was found to be more accommodating to pedestrians, through wider sidewalks and boulevards separating them from vehicles. The large separation distance between the intersections at Killian Road / Netherford Road and Keele Street was identified as an issue for pedestrian The available ROW is approximately 28m safety by community members who, prior to this study, had circulated a petition requesting a Narrow ROW at the Keele Street intersection protected crosswalk to facilitate safe crossing in the area. Space limitations due to building facades directly abutting the property lines Located within the Village of Maple Heritage Conservation District Utility poles/street lights located on both sides of the road December 20, 2018 | ES-2 From McNaughton Road / Avro Road to Keele Street Realignment and consolidation of commercial/residential access points. Cycling At the present time, cyclists do not have a dedicated space in the right-of-way as there are Scheduling delivery during off-peak hours and at night. no designated cycling facilities on Major Mackenzie Drive. Cyclists must share the roadway Installation of a traffic signal and protected pedestrian crossing between Killian Road/Netherford with vehicles or ride on the sidewalks