TOWNSHIP OF ESQUIMALT STAFF REPORT
MEETING DATE: July 15, 2024 Report No. EPW-24-021
TO: Committee of the Whole
FROM: Joel Clary, Director of Engineering & Public Works
SUBJECT: Esquimalt Road Active Transportation and Underground Improvements - Update and Design Contract Award
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
That the Committee of the Whole recommends that Council:
a. Award a contract to ISL Engineering and Land Services Ltd. for $604,541 for consultant services on the Esquimalt Road Active Transportation and Underground Improvements project;
b. Direct staff to proceed with Phase 1 design refinement engagement;
c. Direct staff to seek public input on two concepts on Esquimalt Road between Admirals Road and Park Place before advancing to design refinement engagement on Phase 2;
as described in Staff Report EPW-24-021
.Body
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The Esquimalt Road Active Transportation and Underground Improvements project is a project identified in the Township’s Active Transportation Network Plan (ATNP) to add quick-build protected bike lanes on Esquimalt Road from Canteen Road to Dominion Road with the addition of sewer and drain main repairs. This report serves two purposes regarding this project. First, it provides Council with an update on the project to date including relevant background information on the development of the ATNP. Second, it gives Council the opportunity to advance the project by awarding the design contract and provide direction on the next steps regarding concept selection and engagement.
BACKGROUND:
At the May 27, 2024 Council Meeting, Council approved the following motion from the Committee of the Whole Meeting held on May 13, 2024:
“That the Committee of the Whole recommends to Council that staff be directed to prepare a staff report summarizing all the steps taken to date and the steps going forward regarding public engagement and design for both phases of the Esquimalt Road bike lane project included in the Active Transportation Network Plan.”
The Background section of this report will be used to provide Council with the information requested in the above motion, starting with the development of the Active Transportation Network Plan (ATNP).
Active Transportation Network Plan Development
The Township hired WATT Consulting Group (Consultant) to develop the Township’s first ATNP in October 2020. From the start of the project to the completion of the ATNP in February 2022, the following deliverables or milestones were completed:
• Baseline Condition Report - March 2021
• Public Engagement Round 1 - March to April 2021
• What We Heard Report - June 2021
• Plan Summary Report - August 2021
• Council Check-In - August 2021 (see staff report EPW-21-020 from August 23, 2021 COTW meeting)
• Public Engagement Round 2 - October to November 2021
• Active Transportation Network Plan (full version) - February 2022 (see staff report EPW-22-003 from February 7, 2022 Council meeting)
• Active Transportation Network Plan - Plan Summary (condensed version) - March 2022
All the documents produced as part of the above deliverables are available on the Township’s website at esquimalt.ca/activetransportation (note: this page is linked to EngagingEsquimalt.ca which shows the history of the ATNP development, including the documents produced as part of this process).
To notify the public of the engagement opportunities, the following communication tools were used:
- Social media
- Current Newsletter (mailed to all residents)
- News releases
- Paid social media posts targeted by geography
- Hard copy ad in the Black Press (Vic News)
- Digital display signs (TVs in the Recreation Centre and Municipal Hall)
- E-news subscribers
In addition, key stakeholders were notified of the project and engagement opportunities. The list of key stakeholders that staff reached out to during the development of the ATNP were:
- Capital Bikes
- CFB Esquimalt
- School District 61
- Victoria Disability Resource Centre
- Esquimalt Nation
- Songhees Nation
- Victoria Shipyards
- Military Family Resource Centre (MFRC)
- Esquimalt Chamber of Commerce
- Victoria Chamber of Commerce
- West Bay Residents Association
- BC Transit
- CRD
- Victoria
- Saanich
- View Royal
The following are the statistics from the two rounds of public engagement on the ATNP:
• 3200 total visits to Engaging Esquimalt website
• 253 responses to public survey no.1
• 351 interactive online mapping submissions
• 35 ideas submitted
• 485 responses to public survey no.2
Since its completion in February 2022, the Township has been making steady progress on the ATNP, including the following actions on the Five Big Moves identified in the ATNP:
1. Quick-build Cycling Network
a. 2km of protected bike lanes installed on Tillicum and Lampson corridors
2. Lower Speeds
a. Council adopted speed limits of 40km/hr on Major Roads and 30km/hr on all other roads in April 2023 with new speed limited signs expected to be complete in Summer 2024
b. 2023 saw the first year of annual traffic calming installations
3. Short-term Intersection Reviews & Improvements
a. Seven new flashing beacon crosswalks added on Tillicum and Lampson corridors
b. Temporary pedestrian improvements at Saxe Point Entrance and Esquimalt Road / Constance intersection
4. Fill in Sidewalk Gaps
a. Archie Browning parking lot new sidewalk
b. Munro Street new sidewalk 50% complete
5. Add More Staff
a. Project Coordinator hired September 2023
Beyond the actions listed in the above Five Big Moves, the Township has completed additional actions identified in the ATNP:
- Updating Parking Bylaw (final bylaw expected Summer 2024)
- Ordered a bike lane street sweeper (expected arrival for Fall 2024)
- Updated Salting, Sanding & Snow Clearing Policy with strategy for managing protected bike lanes
- Updated Subdivision and Development Control Bylaw with requirements for bike facilities on major roads and sidewalks on both sides of every road
The next projects identified in the ATNP that have approved budget to begin in 2024 are:
- Design of Craigflower Road crosswalk improvements
- New Sidewalk on Kinver/Heald/Swinford between Lyall Street and Hadfield Avenue
- Design and construction of Esquimalt Road Improvements Phase I
- Design of Esquimalt Road Improvements Phase II
Completion of the above projects would result in significant progress in the ATNP and a need to do a refresh of the remaining priorities in the ATNP. Staff plan on doing this update in 2025. Public engagement will be completed as part of the update.
Esquimalt Road Active Transportation Improvements Project
The ATNP identifies quick build protected bike lanes on Esquimalt Road from Canteen Road in the west to Dominion Road in the east. This aligns with the feedback heard in the first round of public engagement where the top issues / barriers to cycling in Esquimalt were identified as:
- Lack of comfort cycling on major roads without painted bike lanes (25%)
- Lack of comfort cycling on major roads with painted bike lanes (14%)
- Bike lanes on corridors that end before an intersection (12%)
All the barriers identified above apply to portions of the Esquimalt Road corridor. The feedback from the first round of engagement was used to develop a list of potential projects that were included in the Plan Summary and presented to Council in August 2021. Three options were included for an east-west connection through the Township:
1. Protected bike lanes on Esquimalt Road;
2. Couplet of westbound protected bike lane on Esquimalt Road and eastbound protected bike lane on Lyall Street; and
3. Converting Lyall Street to neighborhood bikeway.
To convert Lyall Street to an All Ages and Abilities (AAA) bike facility, the Plan Summary identified reducing traffic on Lyall Street from 4000 vehicles per day to less than 1000 vehicles per day. The above three options were presented to the public as part of the second round of public engagement in order to determine the public’s preferred route and priority ranking, as reflected in the below questions.
Question: Which option do you prefer the most? (Please rank your choices in the order you believe offer the greatest safety, with 1 offering the greatest safety)
Question: What do you see as the highest priorities for the cycling network improvements over the next 1-5 years? (Please rank your choices with 1 as the highest ranked option)
The above rankings from the public show protected bike lanes on Esquimalt Road rank as the preferred east-west option and as the top priority project in the Township, tied with Tillicum Road. In the ATNP, Tillicum and Lampson corridors were prioritized for protected bike lanes over Esquimalt Road as there were no existing facilities on these corridors and Esquimalt Road had portions of painted facilities.
During the first round of engagement, the public were able to identify barriers in the interactive mapping tool. This information was used to produce a heat map showing areas of concern. Three of the hotspots on the map are along the Esquimalt Road corridor at or around the intersections with Dunsmuir Road, Head Street, and Fraser Street.
Based on the heatmap, additional feedback in the survey, and consultant recommendations, a list of intersection reviews were included in the second round of engagement for the public to rank.
Question: Specific improvements will be recommended in the Active Transportation Network Plan to improve existing crossings / intersections. However, more broadly, looking at the main corridors in the Township, what do you see as the highest priorities for where intersection / crossing improvements are needed most. Please refer to the map above. (Please rank your choices with 1 as the highest ranked option).
The highest priority intersection improvement for the public was along Tillicum Road, followed by the Esquimalt Road and Dunsmuir Road intersection. Through the engagement process, Dunsmuir Road was identified as a desire path for cyclists, but the left turn off of Esquimalt Road was undesirable.
Tied for fourth in the priorities was the intersection at Esquimalt Road and Head Street where the existing painted bike lanes end and don’t extend through the intersection. The following areas along Esquimalt Road were not included as options in the priority list during engagement, but due to feedback throughout engagement, were included in the ATNP:
- Esquimalt Road at Macaulay Street
- Esquimalt Road at Lampson Street
- Esquimalt Road at Esquimalt Plaza
- Esquimalt Road at Fernhill Road
- Esquimalt Road at Admirals Road
ANALYSIS:
Due to the scale of the project, staff split the project into two phases:
- Phase 1: Dominion Road to Lampson Street
- Phase 2: Lampson Street to Canteen Road
Lampson Street was chosen as the break between the two phases to allow for the first phase to connect to the new bike facilities on Lampson Street. The eastern phase was selected as the first phase due to the number of developments planned, priority ranking of the Dunsmuir intersection, and added complexities on the western phase that require more planning.
The information provided through the engagement on the ATNP and details provided in the ATNP regarding Esquimalt Road were used to develop the concepts for the Esquimalt Road Active Transportation and Underground Improvements project shown in the Request For Proposals (RFP; see www.esquimalt.ca/business-development/bids-tenders for entire RFP and attachments). Concepts from the RFP are found in Attachment 1 for reference. The purpose of the RFP is to hire a consultant to complete engagement materials that build off the staff developed concepts and complete detailed design of the project for both phases. A consultant is required to advance these aspects of the project due to staff resources and the level of effort and expertise required to produce these deliverables.
Design Concept Approach
Staff took a similar approach to developing conceptual designs for both phases of Esquimalt Road as taken on the Tillicum and Lampson corridors, which includes:
- Quick-build concrete medians along the corridor
- Permanent installations at key locations:
o Intersections
o Crosswalks
o Turning movements that require additional safety measures
- Removal of parking
- Improve road surfaces through pavement repairs
Any location along the corridor that sees parking removed at commercial nodes will be reviewed to identify opportunities for additional parking restrictions on side streets to allow for adequate vehicle turn over.
Staff created the concepts with the premise that existing centre median islands are to remain. The centre median islands and narrow cross sections at some locations restrict the options available for bike infrastructure. These sections will be addressed using the following options:
- Omitting quick-build concrete medians;
- Using only bollards; or
- Raised bikeways to minimize bike exposure while allowing for turning movements from driveways / intersections to be maintained.
Included in both phases of the project is the inclusion of underground utility renewals where the condition of sewer and drain mains are poor. Entire replacement of all the mains along this corridor is out of scope. The focus will be on mains that are at the end of life.
All the scope described in this report requires cost estimates to be completed by a consultant. The approved budget to date is based on similar sized projects but does not factor in individual design elements. Future cost estimates may require scope refinement as the project progresses.
Phase 1: Esquimalt Road - Dominion Road to Lampson Street
The below are design elements specific to Phase 1 of the project that are shown in the concepts in the RFP and available in Attachment 1.
Esquimalt Road and Dunsmuir Road Intersection
As a part of the field reviews for this intersection, staff confirmed the desired connection across Esquimalt Road for both pedestrians and cyclists. The current concept establishes a new multi-use crosswalk across Esquimalt Road that will connect active modes between Dunsmuir Road and Dominion Road. This crossing will include physical separation from vehicles through concrete medians along with a push button activated Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) crosswalk with advanced warning lights to address the curvature of Esquimalt Road. Upon discussion with Township Parks staff, the existing planted median will be removed and replaced with a concrete median due to maintenance concerns. Two trees on the north side of Esquimalt Road between Dunsmuir and Dominion Roads will be removed. The larger of the two trees, a plum tree, is no longer used within the Township’s urban forest and suitable replacements will be planted elsewhere on the corridor. The ornamental streetlights will be relocated or reused in this location.
Esquimalt Road and Macaulay Street Intersection
The ATNP identifies this intersection as a medium to long-term intersection for intersection improvements. While completing field reviews, staff confirmed the intersection is a desired crossing location despite the limited sightlines/sidewalk. Upon development of the conceptual designs, it was determined the vehicle lanes could be shifted along the south side of the roadway and using a concrete median/separated bikeway, sightlines could be improved to a point where an RRFB multi-use crossing could be established. This would provide a new crossing between Lampson and Head Streets that directly connects to Macaulay Elementary School nearby. As a part of the detailed design, further review of this intersection will be undertaken.
Esquimalt Road and Lampson Street Intersection
The Traffic Impact Assessment for the development at 1102 Esquimalt Road recommends changing the laning at this intersection for eastbound and westbound on Esquimalt Road to include advanced left turn lanes and a separate through / right turn lane. This would allow left turn movements to occur together, followed by through and right turns to occur together. Such a change is expected to reduce delays at the intersection.
Phase 2: Esquimalt Road - Lampson Street to Canteen Road
The below are design elements specific to Phase 2 of the project that are shown in the concepts in the RFP and available in Attachment 1.
Esquimalt Road and Nelson Street Intersection
Due to the significant density added in the neighbourhood north of Esquimalt Road near Nelson Street, a new signalized intersection has been identified. The traffic signals will improve the safety of turning movements from Nelson Street and facilitating a new signalized crossing for pedestrians. As a part of the rezoning for 602 Nelson Street, the development is contributing $250,000 towards the new traffic signal. Further contributions may be obtained with additional development in this area. Remaining funding is expected to be funded as part of Phase 2 to ensure installation occurs with other changes along Esquimalt Road.
Esquimalt Road - Admirals Road to Canteen Road
The concept developed by staff for the segment of Esquimalt Road west of Admirals Road shows a reduced cross section by changing from four lanes of travel / parking to two lanes of travel with a centre turn lane, similar to the rest of Esquimalt Road. The concept shows accommodation of bus stops and potential for centre median islands.
Esquimalt Road - Admirals Road to Park Place - Alternate Concept
Based on recent feedback, staff developed an alternate concept for the segment between Admirals Road and Park Place to maintain some of the parking, as shown in the RFP. This alternate concept shows parking on the north side of Esquimalt Road through the removal of the centre turn lane and median islands. This is different from the other concept in the RFP that shows removal of parking on both sides of Esquimalt Road in order to maintain the centre turn lane and median islands, in alignment with the ATNP.
Staff explored maintaining additional parking along this segment of the corridor, but due to several safety factors (sightlines, lane width, offset intersections, emergency vehicle access, and crosswalks) the conceptual design has parking retained on a single side of the roadway. Alternating parking from one side to another on Local Roads can be facilitated using chicanes but on Major Roads with establish centrelines and other linear features, this becomes difficult and not ideal due to the typical / maximum lane offsets required to complete the staggered parking configuration. As such, the alternate concept focuses on maintaining parking on the north side of Esquimalt Road to maximize the parking being retained while also avoiding further chicaning of the road.
Note that the cost of this alternate concept is significantly higher compared to the concept that requires parking removed due to the cost of removing centre median islands. Furthermore, the affect of the loss of the centre turn lane on vehicle movements should be considered as this option is being contemplated.
Esquimalt Road - Lampson Street to Admirals Road - Off-Corridor Routing Concepts - Optional
Due to recent feedback, staff requested consultants to include optional pricing for developing off-corridor routing concepts. Pricing includes evaluations, pros and cons, and materials for public consultation on selected concepts. Consultants were asked to consider the following routes when providing pricing:
1. All Ages and Abilities (AAA) neighbourhood bikeway on Lyall Street with AAA connections to Esquimalt Road at Joffre Street and Canteen Road (neighbourhood bikeways for all facilities off of Esquimalt Road);
2. AAA neighbourhood bikeway on Lyall Street with AAA connections to Esquimalt Road at Joffre Street and Nelson Street (neighbourhood bikeways for all facilities off Esquimalt Road);
3. AAA neighborhood bikeway on Carlisle Avenue utilizing multiple connections, including Fraser Street, Park Place, Comerford Street, Admirals Road (interim painted facility acceptable on Admirals Road) and consideration of a potential future mid block connection through 533 Admirals Road; and
4. Combination of above options or alternate options.
Should this optional work be included, refinement of the above routes and further routes could be explored. The RFP requests pricing for up to four concepts.
Request For Proposals
On June 4, 2024, staff issued an RFP (see www.esquimalt.ca/business-development/bids-tenders for entire RFP and attachments) for providing engagement support, detailed design, cost estimating, tender preparation and support, contract administration, and inspection services for protected AAA quick build cycling facilities and underground utility renewals on Esquimalt Road.
The RFP closed on June 26th. A total of two bids were received. The bids received are as follows:
Bidder Total Contract Cost
ISL Engineering and Land Services Ltd. $604,541.00
k4b engineering inc. $287,070.00*
*Pricing for Stages 2 (tendering) and 3 (construction) not provided. Staff used equal hours as other proponent for Stages 2 and 3 of the project to calculate shown total.
The proposals were evaluated using the following criteria that was identified in the RFP:
Description Weight
Fee Proposal 30%
Key Staff Qualifications and Roles 25%
Understanding & Methodology 25%
Project Schedule 10%
References 10%
Independent evaluations on the two bids were completed by two staff members using the evaluation criteria identified in the RFP. Both staff members ranked ISL Engineering and Land Services as the preferred proponent due to significantly more experience.
Staff Recommendations
Based on the RFP evaluations, it is staff’s recommendation that the contract for consultant services for Esquimalt Road Active Transportation and Underground Improvements be awarded to ISL Engineering and Land Services Ltd. Awarding the design contract allows the project to progress to engagement as additional resources are needed to develop these materials, complete cost estimates, and further advance the concepts through detailed design.
Once engagement materials are prepared based on the current concept for Phase 1, staff recommend proceeding to public engagement, which will focus on:
- Alignment with ATNP goals and vision
- Perceived safety and comfort of the proposed design
- Where additional changes are needed
- Parking compositions / accommodations on side streets
- Any other comments
The above level of engagement is similar to the engagement on Tillicum and Lampson active transportation improvements. Before the same level of engagement can be completed on Phase 2, staff recommend an additional engagement step to determine which concept to advance to detailed designed. Staff recommend asking the public’s preference on the following two concepts provided in the RFP and this report for the section between Admirals Road and Park Place:
- Option 1: Remove parking and maintain centre turn lane and median islands
- Option 2: Parking on north side of Esquimalt Road, removal of centre turn lane, median islands and parking on the south side of Esquimalt Road
When the options are presented to the public, engagement materials will include pros and cons of each option, including estimated costs. As described above, staff do not recommend exploring further options on this section of Esquimalt Road due to chicaning of the road that would be required. Additional concepts could be explored in other sections of the corridor, particularly between Park Place and Fraser Street; however less parking will be maintained at this location and will come at a significant cost of removing the medians and benefit of centre turn lanes.
Additional concepts could be developed for off-corridor options at an additional cost of $11,286 for the optional scope identified in the RFP. Staff do not recommend proceeding with the development of off-corridor concepts, as the feedback during the ATNP showed a strong preference for protected bike lanes on Esquimalt Road opposed to a neighbourhood bikeway on Lyall Street. Such a project on Lyall Street may be a priority in future iterations of the ATNP but would work in partnership with protected bike lanes on Esquimalt Road instead of in lieu of.
Environmental Impact
Active transportation plays a significant role in mitigating climate change as the transportation sector accounts for 33% of the community greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Completing bike lanes and pedestrian improvements on Esquimalt Road addresses high priority projects identified in the ATNP.
Completing sewer and drain asset renewals increases the Township’s resilience to storm events and decreases likelihood of sewer overflows to the ocean.
OPTIONS:
1. That the Committee of the Whole recommend that Council:
a. Award a contract to ISL Engineering and Land Services Ltd. for $604,541 for consultant services on the Esquimalt Road Active Transportation and Underground Improvements project;
b. Direct staff to proceed with Phase 1 design refinement engagement;
c. Direct staff to seek public input on two concepts on Esquimalt Road between Admirals Road and Park Place before advancing to design refinement engagement on Phase 2;
as described in Staff Report EPW-24-021.
2. That the Committee of the Whole provide alternative direction to staff.
3. That the Committee of the Whole request further information from staff.
COUNCIL PRIORITY:
Engaged & Healthy Community - Implement Active Transportation Network Plan
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The 2024-2028 Financial Plan identifies the following budget:
- 2024 (approved budget)
o Phase 1 = $2,950,000 ($150,000 of which is a 2023 carry forward)
o Phase 2 = $250,000
- 2025 (planned budget)
o Phase 2 = $3,500,000
The budget is based on the following breakdown:
- Phase 1:
o Design = $150,000
o Active Transportation Improvements = $1,800,000
o Utility Repairs = $500,000
o Road Repairs = $500,000
- Phase 2:
o Design = $250,000
o Active Transportation Improvements = $1,500,000
o Utility Repairs = $1,000,000
o Road Repairs = $1,000,000
The above does not include the additional $250,000 expected from 602 Nelson Street, which will be added to the above totals once received.
The total budget planned for the design consultant is $400,000. The staff recommended bid from the RFP process is $604,541. This is more than anticipated at the time of budget development; however, after comparing the consultant fees on Tillicum and Lampson, and identifying scope of work on Esquimalt Road that requires higher level of effort (new signal at Nelson and significant underground work), staff feel these rates are competitive. As such, staff recommend proceeding with awarding the contract to ISL Engineering and Land Services Ltd. Additional funding will be used from the planned construction budget for this project.
Once the consultant is hired, staff will work with them to develop cost estimates to get a clearer understanding of the cost of the identified scope of work. As the cost estimates are refined, scope may need to be removed or additional budget requested.
COMMUNICATIONS/ENGAGEMENT:
Engagement to date was completed as part of the ATNP development, as described above. Once the consultant is hired, staff will work with them to develop engagement materials on the selected concepts for each phase. Engagement will focus on design refinement for Phase 1. Prior to this similar level of engagement on Phase 2, an additional step may be required to seek public input on which concept to proceed with on Esquimalt Road or off-corridor, should Council decide to do so.
TIMELINES & NEXT STEPS:
The next step in this project is to hire a consultant to develop consultation materials. Following engagement on these materials and a Council check-in, the consultant will proceed to detailed design followed by construction. Below is a summary of the expected next steps for each phase at this time:
Phase 1 - Dominion to Lampson
- Design refinement engagement - Q3 2024
- What We Heard Report presented to Council - Q4 2024
- Detailed design - Q4 2024
- Construction Tender (requires Council approval) - Q4 2024 / Q1 2025
- Construction - Q1 to Q3 2025
Phase 2 - Canteen to Lampson
- Conceptual design selection - Q3 2024
- Design refinement engagement - Q4 2024
- What We Heard Report presented to Council - Q1 2025
- Detailed design - Q1 / Q2 2025
- Construction Tender (requires Council approval) - Q2 2025 (pending 2025 budget approval process)
- Construction - Q2 to Q4 2025
The above timeline is subject to change as the project progresses. Depending on the timing of engagement and detailed design, deliverables of Phase 1 and 2 may be combined; however, the priority is Phase 1, unless efficiency opportunities arise.
REPORT REVIEWED BY:
1. Ian Irvine, Director of Finance, Reviewed
2. Sarah Holloway, Deputy Corporate Officer, Reviewed
3. Dan Horan, Chief Administrative Officer, Concurrence
LIST OF ATTACHMENTS:
1. Attachment 1 - Esquimalt Road Concepts