Fourth Street/Gibson Street Upgrades
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THIS PROJECT IS COMPLETE
In fall 2024, the District of Tofino completed an infrastructure improvement project along sections of Fourth Street and Gibson Street. This project aims to enhance the town's infrastructure, ensuring safety, connectivity, and environmental sustainability.
Key Project Components
Fourth Street Watermain Replacement:
- Reason: The existing asbestos cement (AC) watermain, installed in 1960, has reached the end of its useful life, as evidenced by frequent and severe watermain breaks.
- Solution: The AC water main will be replaced with a modern 200mm (8”) PVC water main, increasing water conveyance capacity, resilience to breaks and leaks, and adherence to contemporary standards.
- Benefits: Enhanced water flow, reduced maintenance costs, and minimized risk of failure, particularly during peak summer months.
Pedestrian Improvements:
- Sidewalk Development: A new 1.5-meter-wide sidewalk will be constructed to connect Wickaninnish Community School and the new daycare to Campbell Street.
- Safety and Connectivity: The raised sidewalk will link to existing sidewalks on Fourth Street and Malon Lane, providing a safe route for pedestrians, including children, from downtown to suburban areas. This route will feature drop-down curb ramps and painted crosswalks for improved accessibility.
- Drainage Improvement: Drainage along Fourth Street will be improved through adjusted catch basins, curbs, and slope considerations.
Environmental Considerations:
- Floral Relocation: Existing floral features will be relocated and reused in the public right-of-way.
- Wildlife Protection: Bird nesting surveys and amphibian sweeps will be conducted as needed.
- Erosion Control: A sediment and erosion control plan will be implemented to protect the environment during construction.
Project Details:
- Budget: Approximately $1,025,000
- Funding Sources:
- C&I Levy Road
- C&I Levy Water
- Development Cost Charges (DCC’s) for Road and Water
- Completion Date: Fall 2024
- Traffic and Water Service Disruptions: Expect minor delays with single-lane alternating traffic and 10-15 minute delays during full road closures for water main tie-ins and crossings.
Feedback
CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.
Who's Listening
-
Engineering Project Coordinator
Email pfetisov@tofino.ca -
Manager of Infrastructure & Capital Projects
Email skirkland@tofino.ca
Photos: Project Completion
Video: Project Rendering
-
This video rendering showcases the planned upgrades for Fourth Street & Gibson Street.
Great to see! This project is long over due! As a resident of Fourth St. who walks this route daily I can state that it is one of the busier routes in town with no where to walk but on the road its self. The district should also consider placing a storm drain on the west side and filling the ditch as the street turns to single lane traffic when vehicles are parked on the west side.
This project is way over due! As a resident of Fourth St. I walk this route daily and can you that it is terrifying to walk with children during the tourist season! The large ditch on the west side of the road should also have a culvert put in and filled to allow more room for vehicles to park. At the moment with vehicles parked in the street that section between Gibson's and Neil turns into single lane traffic. Extremely happy to see this project finally happening!!
This project is far overdue in my opinion, as a resident of Fourth street I have had far too many close calls with vehicles while being forced to walk on the street with my kids between Gibson and Campbell St. I walk this route daily and the proposed side will have minimum disturbance of the Rhodo's. The west side should have a culvert installed and the large ditch filled in as many times throughout the year there is a vehicle in that ditch and that section basically turns into a one way street when vehicles park in the road. This project cannot happen soon enough!!
I appreciate that there will be wildlife surveys conducted; however, as we've seen recently, these surveys don't seem to prevent work being carried out in nesting season. Has a wildlife-sensitive timeline for the work been considered?
This survey would be more effective if it gave the respondents the details of trees or greenery planned for removal.
As a 43 yr resident of Tofino , living on Fourth , close to the busiest intersection in town, I have first hand knowledge of traffic congestion and pedestrian issues. While I have put a lot of time and money into beatifying the boulevards around my property over the years, I understand public safety is paramount. However , if gardens and green spaces can be preserved and sidewalks and other forms of development move ahead as necessary , then it is a win- win …
I strongly recommend reconsidering sidewalk placement, and putting it on the other (west) side of the street. This will not only help children avoid unnecessarily crossing the street multiple times to reach downtown Tofino (to the west of Fourth Street), but it would also help to preserve a historic and well-loved rhododendron garden. Tofino residents have been quite clear that they don't want to lose these beautiful historic features of our town. Additionally, locating the sidewalk on the west side would avoid adding another unnecessary new crosswalk on Fourth street at Gibson - allowing cost-savings for this project. It also might be nice to give our community a brief respite from the constant construction we have been subjected to lately - perhaps we can defer this project by one year?
A sidewalk would be incredible! Holy moly i can't believe it's a million dollars.
Please save the rhododendrons- do not turn them into parking spots!
While this project would create another sidewalk to use on from the school to Campbell, there exist already safe sidewalked routes that run parallel to the proposed sidewalk while there are other places in town where sidewalks are needed more pressingly where pedestrians currently use the road. I’m also concerned about the impact the project may have on the amount and placement of parking and I did not see that highlighted/addressed in the project summary.
I’m left wondering could these funds (for sidewalk enhancement) not be better spent, either to
1) create accessibility in other parts of town where there is a more pressing need for sidewalks or
2) be used to create more parking or subsidize the projected losses from the Robbin’s parking contract to mitigate costs related to that contract to tax payers.
This is a great initiative and will improve the safety and walkability of the area. The sidewalk may be better suited to the west side of fourth street so as to connect with existing crosswalk and, more importantly, not disturb historic garden.
Thanks
Chris