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September 24, 2024
Shoreline Rehabilitation at CSSP Questions & Answers
The pending shoreline rehabilitation project at Colonel Samuel Smith Park has generated a lot of discussion lately on social media and even a petition. The project website leaves some questions unanswered, so we asked a few. Below are our questions (in bold) and the responses from the project manager (in italics).
Citizens Concerned About the Future of the Etobicoke Waterfront (CCFEW) has been involved in the maintenance, enhancement and protection of Colonel Samuel Smith Park since its inception. While CCFEW fully supports the urgent need for shoreline rehabilitation at Colonel Samuel Smith Park and appreciates that the TRCA is making efforts to reduce the disruption of the park, we have some questions that have been raised about the construction access plan.
Is there a plan to proactively prune to avoid damaging trees?
Yes, TRCA will be working with the Parks Supervisor to complete necessary pruning. Pruning will be completed under the direction of a certified arborist to ensure best practices are followed so that no injury to the trees occur.
Is there a sufficient radius for large vehicles to turn, and if not, what is the plan to facilitate that turn?
This turn has been assessed by our Construction Services team on site, and there are plans to install temporary stone and steel plates or wooden mats over the southwest corner of the turn to widen the turning radius. These would be removed and the area restored once the work is complete.
Has the access route been assessed for load capacity? Areas of particular concern are the paved path along the east side of the park and the culvert at the outlet of the wetland pond.
TRCA regularly uses park paths of varying widths and thicknesses as access routes for our shoreline maintenance projects; however there is often some damage to the top asphalt layer due to frequent truck traffic. To align with our construction best practices, horizontal hoarding (e.g. mud mats) will be used to disperse the weight of the trucks over the culvert. As part of our restoration, TRCA will repave the asphalt or adjust the gravel throughout any parts of the access route to existing or better conditions. This will include any repairs to culverts or other infrastructure as a result of the work.
How do you plan to close the “closed” portion of the trucking access route?
The access route will be closed with Fast Fence, a temporary fence installed at the edge of the existing gravel or asphalt path. Swing gates will open and close the areas to truck traffic. The expectation is that the access route will be closed off during the times that truck deliveries are expected, and will be opened when deliveries are finished for the day.
Is there a plan to prepare or maintain [the] “pedestrian detour” routes to handle the increased traffic?
The detour routes are informal and meant as a way to access some of the restricted areas of the park. At this point there is no plan to maintain the trails or prepare the detour routes prior to starting work, and the trails will remain in their naturalized state. We are in frequent contact with the Parks Supervisor regarding this project and will remain in regular contact throughout the work, and we will address any specific park maintenance concerns with Parks, Forestry and Recreation as they arise.
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