City announces major infrastructure upgrades for completion in 2020

BRANTFORD, ON - During the 2020 City Budget Estimates process, City Council approved a capital levy of 0.75 per cent to fund the City’s 10-year $872 million capital program. Strategic capital investments that are funded from the capital levy have a direct impact on people’s quality of life. Critical infrastructure projects that the City will complete in 2020 include road reconstruction, streetlight replacement and recreational infrastructure as well as addressing aging water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure needs for our rapidly growing community.

Following are the top infrastructure projects to look forward to in 2020:

Park and Playground Upgrades
In 2020, the City’s Playground Replacement Program will see renovations to update a series of neighbourhood parks across the city with new modernized equipment, new paved paths, benches, signs and trees. Playground renovations currently under construction for completion in 2020 include, City View Park, Cockshutt Park, Orchard Park and Preston Park. Projects currently in the design phase with construction set to begin in spring 2020 include, Recreation Park, Moose Park, Pleasant Ridge Park, Spring Street Buck Park and Devon Down Park.

Tutela Park Splash Pad
The Tutela Park Splash Pad, scheduled to open in summer 2020 is a special undertaking made possible by the hard work of the neighbourhood to raise funds for the project that were matched by the City. The Tutela Park Splash Pad Design concept is inspired by the winding Grand River that flows through the Eagle Place Neighbourhood including the streets that frame it. Informed by public input, the splash pad incorporates fun and exciting water features, including a variety of ground bubblers, ground sprays, a water spray tunnel, overhead sprays and a dump bucket.

Reconstruction of Roadway Infrastructure and Resurfacing
More than $7.8million will be invested in 1,780 metres road, reconstruction, sidewalk replacement, energy efficient LED streetlighting, resurfacing work, watermain and sanitary and storm sewer replacement. Full reconstruction is planned in 2020 on Elgin Street. (Murray Street to Rawdon Street) including under the CN bridge, Jarvis Street (Grand River Avenue to Lorne Crescent), St. James Street (Brant Avenue to Pearl Street), Albion Street (Henrietta Street to Bedford Street) and Rawdon Street (Dalhousie Street to Wellington Street). Other major projects involve $1.55 million allocated to 7.9 km of asphalt resurfacing on Tollgate Rd (St. George to 403 Bridge and 403 to King George Road), Bruce Street (Murray Street to Dead End), Ballantyne Drive (Sherwood Drive to Spalding Drive), Spalding Drive (Ballantyne Drive to Catherine Avenue) and the North West Industrial Park road; Fen Ridge Court, Savannah Oaks Drive/Ferrero Boulevard and Hardy Road (Ferrero Boulevard to Oak Park Road.)

Streetlight Replacements for Energy and Maintenance Efficiencies
Road reconstruction projects will also include the replacement of streetlights with energy efficient LEDlights. Additionally, the ongoing program to reduce energy use and maintenance costs for streetlighting will involve the conversion of 1,500 of the highest energy use street lights in the city to LED lights.

Active Transportation Network Improvements
These projects are aimed at improving the safety for pedestrians and cyclists using the road network. They include pedestrian crossing traffic signals at Colborne Street West at Fire Hall #4 and Ballantyne Drive cycling lane from Sherwood Drive to Spalding Drive.

Highway 403/Oak Park Road Interchange Upgrade
The Ministry of Transportation and the City of Brantford are collaborating on the reconstruction of the 403/Oak Park interchange to improve access to/from the Northwest Industrial Area and Highway 403. This will include new loop ramps and traffic signal control at ramp terminals.

Increasing Service Capacity and Replacement of Aging Water and Wastewater Infrastructure
Over $20 million has been dedicated to improving the City’s capacity to provide water and wastewater services including the implementation of the Shellard Lane Elevated Water Storage Tank, King George Road Elevated Water Tank, Low Lift Pumping Station Roof Replacement, Bulk Water Fill Station Upgrades on Earl Avenue, Wastewater Treatment Plant Clarifier Upgrade and the rehabilitation of the Fifth Avenue Wastewater Pumping Station. There are also projects underway for the replacement of aging watermains and services to the property line. Major projects include Woodlawn Ave (Balmoral Drive to Cambridge Drive), Avondale St (Hamilton Avenue to the dead end, Avondale Crescent (Hamilton Avenue to Lyndhurst Street), St. Paul Avenue, Elmwood Avenue and Alpha Crescent (Charing Cross Street to Wood Street) – and Cumberland Street (west to the dead end to Rowanwood Avenue and through the park).

Improvements and Replacement of Sanitary and Stormwater Sewer Infrastructure
Several projects aimed at aging infrastructure that conveys waste and storm water include the rehabilitation of the Fifth Avenue Wastewater Pumping Station, on-going programs to improve the service life of aging sanitary and stormwater sewers using trenchless technology infrastructure. Improvements to control conveyance and improvements to storm water quality include stormwater drainage improvements for stabilization of Tutela Heights Slope, Francis Street sewer rehabilitation, Shellard Lane Stormwater pond clean out.

Grand Re-opening & renaming of Northridge Municipal Golf Course to Walter Gretzky Municipal Golf Course, Banquet and Learning Academy
In spring 2020, the City will open a new state of the art clubhouse at Northridge Municipal Golf Course and rename the new facility to the Walter Gretzky Municipal Golf Course, Banquet and Learning Academy to honour the City’s Lord Mayor and Canada’s favourite hockey dad. The new build replaces the original clubhouse built in 1957, and will include a members’ lounge and banquet hall for weddings, tournaments and other events for up to 150 people.

New Brantford Fire Station #2
The new Fire Station No. 2 located on Norman Street in the City’s north end to better service that area of the city will replace the existing 59-year old Station No 2. Expected to open in fall 2020, the new Station will feature a ground floor of about 14,000 square feet and 32 parking spaces. Brantford Fire is also adding a new Fire Pumper / Engine to its fleet, consisting of a pump, water tank, and hundreds of feet of powerful hoses.

New City Hall
Construction is well underway to renovate the heritage building at 70 Dalhousie Street in the city’s downtown core to a new Brantford City Hall that will see the relocation of City departments and services all under one roof. The move to a new consolidated City Hall is actually far more cost efficient for the City to operate than the current accommodations model. Another key benefit of consolidating services is to provide citizens with a more convenient one-stop location to access City programs and services. The City anticipates substantial completion of the new City Hall by the end of 2020.

More details regarding the City’s 2020 Operating and Capital Budgets are available at brantford.ca/CityBudget.

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Media Contact
Maria Visocchi - Director, Communications and Community Engagement
City of Brantford | 519.751.9900 ext. 5754 | mvisocchi@brantford.ca