GuelphToday received the following letter from Mike Darmon, president of Guelph Coalition for Active Transportation:
Our beloved City of Guelph will be 200 years old in 2027!
We should be thinking about how we celebrate this milestone birthday with great vision and style with a project that reflects our core values, and benefits current and future generations to come.
We at Guelph Coalition for Active Transportation and other partners, are in support of a project idea that will transform a core area of our downtown while benefiting the social, environmental and economic future of our city.
The timing of this project could not be better as the area around the Macdonell bridge is in need of full infrastructure rebuilding, including the replacement of the bridge itself.
A much needed pedestrian bridge - the Ward to Downtown bridge just South of the Macdonell bridge - has already been approved and will provide a more direct and much safer way to walk or ride to the Ward and beyond from Downtown or the Trans Canada Trail (TCT) in both directions.
We have proposed that the Trans Canada rail Trail terminating near the Macdonell bridge, be extended all the way to Victoria Road and it has been approved as a priority project in the Guelph Trails Master Plan.
This Active Transportation extension will connect many existing and future high density residential developments adjacent to or near the rail trail. It will also enable the 15-minute neighbourhood where one can walk or cycle for everyday tasks in a much more sustainable way.
Now what kind of project would connect all of these projects with a WOW factor and also avoid the busy and dangerous road trail crossing? Similar to the dangerous Speedvale Avenue bridge crossing of the TCT, a road/bridge underpass would provide not only a much safer and enjoyable trail connection but would be visually stunning for Guelph users and tourists alike- with the addition of an upstream waterfall!
This is also necessary to lower the water level which will reduce flood risk, and allow for pedestrian head clearance under the current and future Macdonell bridge.
There is one critical problem that needs to be resolved for this project to become a reality, but it is minor in relation to the much bigger and grander vision. The design length of the planned Ward to downtown bridge needs to be slightly increased to allow for the underpass to be installed due to GRCA regulations. Yes this may increase cost and a possible delay in implementation of the Ward bridge but the delay and cost will be minimal in contrast to the many benefits.
Our city is growing and we need to be bold with our vision while retaining all that we love about it as one of the best places to live in Canada.
Happy (future) 200 year birthday Guelph!
Mike Darmon,
President of GCAT
