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HomeMy WebLinkAboutINS-16-045 - Legal Agreement with MTO - Shirley Avenue Extension REPORT TO: Special Council DATE OF MEETING: May 2, 2016 SUBMITTED BY: Steve Allen, Manager, Engineering Design and Approvals, 519- 741-2200 x7584 PREPARED BY: Steve Allen, Manager, Engineering Design and Approvals, 519- 741-2200 x7584 WARD(S) INVOLVED: 1 DATE OF REPORT: April 26, 2016 REPORT NO.: INS-16-045 SUBJECT:Legal Agreement with MTO - Shirley Avenue Extension ___________________________________________________________________________ RECOMMENDATION: THAT the Chief Administrative Officer or a Deputy Chief Administrative Officer be authorized to execute an agreement regarding the extension of Shirley Avenue and any other Agreements or ancillary documents with the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) related to the construction of Highway 7, provided that where there are any costs to be incurred by the City, the costs are within approved budgets; any agreements or ancillary documents are to be to the satisfaction of the City Solicitor. BACKGROUND: The Ministry of Transportation, Ontario (MTO), is proceeding with improvements to Highway 85 and Wellington Street North Interchange as part of the new Highway 7 between Kitchener and Guelph. The environmental assessment was completed in 2007. REPORT: One of the first elements of construction of the new highway in Kitchener requires improvements to the existing Shirley Avenue in 2016. These improvements specifically include the extension of Shirley Avenue westerly, to connect to Wellington Street at the Riverbend/Wellington intersection. These changes to Shirley Avenue are being done in advance of work at the interchange in order to alleviate traffic detouring around subsequent construction phases. The extension of Shirley Avenue is being done on MTO lands which will then be conveyed to the City after completion. The road allowance will become a City road with associated maintenance responsibility. A formal agreement is required between the City and the MTO with respect to this work to address responsibilities of each of the parties. *** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. *** Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance. 1. - 1 In general, the agreement will contain the following points: MTO will pay 100% cost of the design and construction. This includes utility relocations (gas, water etc.) As the MTO is the proponent of the project, they have responsibility for all design, agency approvals, property acquisition, utility relocations etc. Design is to be done to City of Kitchener standards where applicable The MTO will provide design for the City to review and comment prior to tendering MTO will administer all aspect of the works during construction City provides design review, and construction liaison during the construction work. This is only the first phase of work to complete the new Highway 7. While staff do not have specific information about additional agreements required at this time, it is anticipated that, given the size of the project (both financially and geographically) there will be a need to enter into additional agreements with the Ministry to address other issues of mutual interest. In order avoid delays to the Ministry’s schedule staff are recommending delegating approval to the CAO or DCAO for these additional agreements provided that costs (if any) are within council approved budgets. In order to meet MTO schedules, this agreement should be executed prior to June 1. th This report missed the agenda setting meeting (held on April 19) and has been added to the agenda in order to provide City and MTO staff sufficient time to finalize and execute the agreement. ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN: The recommendation of this report supports the achievement of the city’s strategic vision through the delivery of core service. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: The MTO will be responsible for 100% of the cost of the Shirley Avenue work and any other work related to the construction of the new Highway 7 in Kitchener which includes design, construction, utility relocations, permits, etc. City costs related to the support of the MTO Highway 7 project through design review, project liaison and easements, for example, will be accommodated within existing Council approved budgets. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: CONSULT – The MTO’s new Highway 7 project has been conducted as an environmental assessment which includes public meetings and opportunities for input from the general public.Additionally, the MTO has engaged in discussions with affected property owners throughout the design in order to mitigate any negative impacts. ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Justin Readman, Executive Director, Infrastructure Services. 1. - 2