FAQs

The City of Cambridge is proposing to reconstruct Elgin Street North from Glamis Road to the CP Rail pedestrian underpass south of Samuelson Street, Ferguson Avenue from Elgin Street North to 150m west of Elgin Street North and Glamis Road from Elgin Street North to 80m east of Elgin Street North.

Reconstruction will include

• Replacement of the existing watermain, appurtenances and services to property line
• Replacement of the existing sanitary sewer, appurtenances and services to property line
• Replacement of the existing roadway and curb and gutter
• Provision of new additional storm sewer from Galt Avenue to Mill Creek
• Provision of a new multi-use trail on the west side of Elgin Street North
• Provision of a new sidewalk on the east side of Elgin Street North
• Provision of pedestrian refuge islands at Glamis Road, Winter Avenue, Galt Avenue and Bronson Avenue

Yes. The complete roadway including curbs will be reconstructed. A new multi-use trail will be provided on the west side of the street from Glamis Road to Samuelson Street and a new 1.5m wide sidewalk will be provided on the east side of the street from Avenue Road to the CP Rail pedestrian underpass. The existing 1.2m wide sidewalk on east side from Avenue Road to Glamis Road will be widened to 1.5m wide per the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). The widths of the asphalt surface, multi-use trail and sidewalk will be as indicated in the follow table:

Yes. The complete roadway including some sections of curbs and sidewalks will be reconstructed. 

The width of the proposed asphalt will be the same width as the existing asphalt.

Start of construction – Spring 2024

End of construction – Fall 2025

The work is scheduled to allow contractors to complete the work as soon as possible. 

This project will occur in two phases. 

Phase 1 – Elgin Street North - CP Rail pedestrian underpass south of Samuelson Street to about 230m north of Galt Avenue is tentatively scheduled for approximately Spring 2024 to Fall 2024. Utility relocations are scheduled for 2023.

Phase 2 – Elgin Street North – Glamis Road to about 230m north of Galt Avenue, Ferguson Avenue from Elgin Street North to 150m west of Elgin Street North and Glamis Road from Elgin Street North to 80m east of Elgin Street North is tentatively scheduled for approximately Spring 2025 to Fall 2025. Utility relocations are scheduled for 2024.

While staff and contractors will try to follow the proposed schedule, delays may be caused by:

• contractor’s schedules
• weather conditions
• difficulties with equipment or materials 
• unforeseen site conditions

The City of Cambridge upgrades infrastructure each year in order that aged facilities are replaced prior to there being a complete failure or the cost of maintenance becomes exorbitant. The existing watermains and sanitary sewers will be also replaced due to age and deterioration. On Elgin Street North all service laterals will be replaced to the property line. A new additional storm sewer will be provided on Elgin Street North from Galt Avenue to Mill Creek in order to mitigate flooding during heavy rainfall events. Reconstruction of the road and concrete surface works is necessary due to deterioration and reconstruction of the underground services. A new multi-use trail will be provided on the west side of Elgin Street North from Glamis Road to Samuelson Street and a new 1.5m wide sidewalk will be provided on the east side of Elgin Street North from Glamis Road to the CP Rail pedestrian underpass in order to provide improved active transportation facilities.

Elgin Street North

All water service laterals will be replaced with 25mm diameter polyethylene pipe from the watermain to property line and all sanitary service laterals will be replaced with 100mm diameter PVC pipe from the sewer main to property line. 

All water service laterals will be replaced with the minimum service size to match existing from the watermain to property line and all sanitary service laterals will be replaced with the minimum service size to match existing from the sewer main to property line. 

Ferguson Avenue from Elgin Street North to 150m west of Elgin Street North

All sanitary service laterals will be replaced with 100mm diameter PVC pipe from the sewer main to property line and beyond for some properties. 

Glamis Road from Elgin Street North to 80m east of Elgin Street North.

No service replacement is anticipated.

Any property owner wishing to have new (additional) or larger sized services must make written application to the City of Cambridge.  Any new or upgrade service will be at the expense of the property owner making the request.  Should you require a new or upgraded service, please contact Steven Huang of the Community Development Department at 519-623-1340 ext. 4616 so that your requirements can be incorporated as part of the construction.

Please note that the service installed would be to the property line only. Any work on private property would be the responsibility of the property owner who must obtain a permit under the Plumbing Code from the City’s Building Department.

Construction is expected to take place in 2024 and 2025 subject to budget approval.

A private contractor selected through the City’s public tender process will undertake the work.  

During road reconstruction, it will be necessary to close the road to through traffic.  Access to private property may be possible, but it will be at your own risk, as you will be traveling through a construction zone.  For times you do not have access to your property, or if you do not wish to travel through the construction zone, alternate arrangements should be made for parking.  Overnight parking will be permitted on intersecting streets within one block of the reconstruction but you must abide by all other existing parking restrictions (i.e. don’t block a driveway, don’t park too close to a fire hydrant, don’t park where parking is prohibited, etc.). 

To minimize disruption to pedestrians, the construction crew will:

• Maintain the existing sidewalk until its removal is absolutely necessary;
• Provide a temporary gravel sidewalk between removal of the old and placement of the new sidewalk;
• Whenever possible, provide advanced notice to the property owners and residents whose sidewalk or driveway will be temporarily affected

Sewer and water service will be maintained throughout the duration of construction.  However, short interruptions can be expected, particularly when the services to individual properties are transferred from existing mains to the new mains.  In the majority of cases, interruptions will be limited to a few hours and will occur during normal working hours.  Advance notification will be provided where possible prior to any planned service interruption.  During watermain reconstruction, a temporary above ground watermain may be installed.  Each property will be connected from the temporary main to an outside water tap.   Access onto your property will be required to provide the temporary connection.

On some reconstruction projects we find that residents have constructed gardens, shrubs, hedges, and fences within the City road allowance. If existing services are below that particular feature, there is a grade change or if the location of the sidewalk changes, you will be asked to relocate the garden, hedge etc onto your property prior to construction taking place. 

When reconstructing the sidewalk, it may be necessary to cut back some driveways to match the new grade. If this is the case, the driveway will be saw-cut and a patch placed using the same material if possible. Impressed or coloured concrete driveways cannot be replaced to match the original, which is also the case with paving stone driveways (unless the owner has a supply of matching stones that the contractor could use). 

If you have a sprinkler system installed along the edge of the roadway or sidewalk within the City’s road allowance, please remove the piping prior to construction as the contractor will not be responsible for damage and the City will not replace it. You may have it reinstalled on private property after construction is completed if you wish.

One issue of critical importance to the City of Cambridge is to have the work completed while minimizing disruption to the neighbourhood.   Road reconstruction and underground servicing is disruptive and at times will create noise, vibration due to compaction and a potential for dust. To address these disruptions, water and calcium chloride are used for dust control and construction activity is limited to daylight hours after 7:00 a.m. 

Blue box, green box and refuse collection will be maintained throughout the duration of construction. When access is restricted by construction operations, the construction crew will place the blue boxes and refuse containers at a location accessible by the collection service on collection days. To minimize problems during construction, it would be appreciated if all refuse is bagged – Yard Waste in paper bags, Household Garbage in plastic bags.  Please ensure that your address is clearly marked on containers/ blue boxes.

The City of Cambridge realizes that reconstruction will cause inconvenience to the residents and businesses in the area and requests your cooperation, understanding and patience throughout its duration. Comments can be provided to the City through a number of avenues:

• City’s online engagement platform (www.engagewr.ca/elgin-reconstruction). Please note project plans will be posted online only, for a period of three weeks. The comment period will remain open during this three week period. 
• A comment sheet is attached to this information package and you have the option to mail or e-mail this comment form to the undersigned. 

In addition to your comments, other information we would like to receive from residents or institutions are your special needs, e.g. for disabled persons, water or sewer service improvements or driveway modifications. This written record will assist the City to address all the issues related to the reconstruction.  

If you require information in an accessible format or accommodation to access municipal services, please contact accessibility@cambridge.ca.