CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Engineering firm EXP Services Inc. is being handed the task of designing a road that would alleviate traffic congestion behind the Charlottetown Mall.
The city’s public works committee recommended Wednesday that the firm be awarded a contract worth almost $237,000 for engineering work that applies to a variety of projects, including a new road behind the mall.
City council will vote on the resolution at its next monthly public meeting.
That works includes designing and tendering out work on the new connector road between Towers Road and Spencer Drive, behind the Charlottetown Mall.
This new road will run parallel to the Confederation Trail. Drivers will be able to make a right turn off Towers Road onto the new road which leads to Spencer Drive, connecting them to Canadian Tire and Sobeys, without the need to cut through the Cineplex parking lot. The project itself will cost more than $600,000.
EXP would also handle the design for the future reconstruction of Pond Street, which connects Queen Street and University Avenue and passes through several parking lots of businesses, such as Value Village and a P.E.I. liquor store.
The city has plans to try and make the street safer with infrastructure that includes sidewalks and curbing. It would also require a new district heating system underground due to aging pipes. While EXP will handle the design work, the actual construction won’t take place this year.
The engineering work also includes upgrades for two pedestrian crossings — the intersection at Fitzroy Street and Great George Street and where the Confederation Trail crosses Longworth Avenue.
Scott Adams, manager of public works, says the issues include the speed of vehicles, the fact that some drivers can’t spot pedestrians crossing and vehicles simply not yielding to pedestrians.
Members of the committee agreed that both intersections are dangerous for pedestrians.
Adams said the work at Fitzroy and Great George could involve the construction of medians at both locations in an effort to slow drivers down as they tend to give drivers a visual cue.
The type of medians he refers to already exist, for example, at the intersection of Capital Drive and Buchanan Drive, at the entrance to the Charlottetown Mall.
“Also, you never like to force pedestrians to cross more than two lanes (of traffic),’’ Adams said.
The capital projects also include sidewalk design and tender documents for this year, large culvert inspections and creating a master plan for University Avenue which will take a look at traffic flow to determine what, if any changes, are needed.
Following is information on the contract Charlottetown’s public works committee recommends council approve:
- Request for proposals for engineering services on various capital projects was publicly advertised and closed on Jan. 30.
- Five submissions were received.
- Each proposal was scored based on a scoring system specified in the tender documents — 85 per cent for method/scope and 15 per cent based on cost.
- The successful firm is EXP Services Inc. (pending council approval).
- Bids were also received from CBCL Ltd., Harbourside Engineering Group, Coles Associates Ltd. and WSP.