Waterloo Street reconstruction

This notice is regarding landscape features within the City owned boulevard that may be affected by the reconstruction of Waterloo Street and part of Moore Avenue South.

The City recognizes and appreciates the landscaping work of property owners to maintain their property. Unfortunately, where landscaping extends onto municipal land, the City must exercise its right of access to complete essential construction activity. This includes the excavation of vegetation, topsoil, subsoils, hardscape features (i.e. decorative fencing, posts, lights, edging, etc.), retaining walls or other material on municipally-owned land that is necessary to reconstruct public infrastructure.

In general, private alterations to the City’s boulevard are prohibited, with the exception of certain landscaping that complies with section 5.5 of By-law 2014-054, a By-Law to Regulate Work on Highways and Boulevards. Frequently residents are unsure about where the property line separating the boulevard from private property is. Although not precise in all circumstances, the following rules of thumb can be used as a guide:

• Waterloo Street, North side: Property line is between 0.05 and 0.25 metres from edge of sidewalk, depending on location.
• Waterloo Street, South side: Property line is between 0.75 and 1.05 metres from edge of sidewalk, depending on location.
• Moore Avenue South, West side: Property line is between 1.25 and 1.55 metres from edge of sidewalk, depending on location.
• Moore Avenue South, East side: Property line is between 1.25 and 1.55 metres from edge of sidewalk, depending on location.

During a road reconstruction project, the City will address private landscaping on City property in the following manner:

• Advanced notice prior to construction will be provided via mail and newsfeed updates on Engage Waterloo so that residents have an opportunity to remove and/or salvage any landscaping features you wish to reinstate after construction (i.e. where the landscaping complies with the requirements of Section 5.5, such as herbaceous plants less than 45 cm in height or inorganic ground cover less than 19 mm in diameter, etc.).

• Advance notice of the start of construction will be provided via mail to affected residents in the late winter/early spring of 2024. This will contain the anticipated start date of construction and provide a final opportunity for you to remove and/or salvage any landscaping you wish to reinstate after construction. Construction is currently anticipated to commence mid-April 2024.

• Any landscaping not removed prior to the start of construction may be damaged and/or removed, if necessary, by the City’s contractor. As part of the reconstruction the City will reinstate boulevards with topsoil and sod but will not replace, or reimburse costs for, any private landscaping removed prior to or damaged during construction. Any owner who subsequently places landscaping in the City-owned boulevard does so entirely at his or her own risk.

• If your existing landscaping consists of hardscape features, such as concrete, masonry, or wooden edging around planting beds, low-height retaining walls, decorative light stands, fences, etc., please contact the project manager (undersigned below) as soon as possible to discuss in further detail. As stated above, the City will not replace, or reimburse costs for, any private landscaping/hardscaping in the City-owned boulevard that is left in place and damaged during construction. However, depending on the specific items/locations and anticipated construction impacts, the City may be able to assist in removing or relocating (to private property) these features as part of the road reconstruction work.

The policies above apply to landscaping/hardscaping and do not apply to paths of travel needed for access to the property. Driveways, walkways and other hard surfaced paths of travel from private to public property will be re-instated as close as practicable to existing conditions after construction.

Thank you for your cooperation as we work to renew public infrastructure on Waterloo Street and Moore Avenue South.

The City of Waterloo has approved the reconstruction of Waterloo Street (Moore Ave S to Roger St) and part of Moore Avenue South (Waterloo St to train tracks) with construction scheduled to start in the Spring of 2024. The City has selected GM BluePlan Engineering Limited to provide design and contract administration services for the reconstruction project. The map below shows the approximate limits of reconstruction.

As part of the reconstruction, all underground municipal infrastructure will be replaced, including sanitary sewer, storm sewer, watermain and sanitary and water services up to the common property line. Surface works will include a new concrete curb and gutter, new sidewalks and a new pavement structure. Areas disturbed by construction, such as walkways, driveways and grassed areas, will be restored to City standards. Please note that the City standard for boulevards within the public right-of-way is topsoil and sod. Private landscaping by residents within the public portion of the boulevard will not be replaced by the City.

Additionally, a separate consultant will, at some point, complete a geotechnical soils investigation in accordance with provincial regulations. This work will likely only take one to two days and will generally only block small sections of roadway and boulevard. The work shouldn’t present a major inconvenience to mobility. However, the equipment used can make short, high-pitched bursts of noise which residents should be prepared for.

The City will provide various notices and updates prior to and during construction. Prior to construction, residents will be invited to two in-person Public Information Centres (PIC). The first PIC will provide information on the proposed design. The second PIC will provide more information on what to expect during construction and provide an opportunity to meet the contractor.

Where possible, the City will make efforts to minimize the amount of disruption to your day-to-day activities; however, major reconstruction projects such as this will inevitably result in some disruptions. Please note the following important information at this stage:

Notify the City’s Project Manager if you have any mobility challenges. During construction, driveway access is generally unavailable during working hours (7 a.m. to 7 p.m.). Sidewalks will be maintained to the extent feasible when driveway access is not available. However, there will be times when even sidewalk access is impacted. Knowing any existing challenges in advance will help plan for specific needs.

Hold off replacing driveways or walkways. Construction will result in the ends of driveways and walkways being removed and patched at the end of construction. Waiting to replace driveways and walkways until after construction will avoid the need to cut into new pavement.

Image showing asphalt driveway that has been patched next to the sidewalk following construction.
Image showing a concrete driveway that has been patched next to the sidewalk following construction