2014 NCHCA Education Series

1. 2014 NCHCA Education Series Mobility Management and Accessibility on Construction SitesFebruary 20, 2014

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3. Because together we will develop Best Practices

4. Today we intend to answer: • How did we get here? • Where is “here”? • How do we move forward?

5. How did we get here? • A look back at a sampling of Urban Rehabilitation Design and Construction Projects. • Ottawa is challenged with relatively narrow right-of-ways: • From a design perspective, this has impacted “what we build”, and; • More and more it is impacting “how we build it”.

6. Murray Street – Tendered in 1990 • RMOC – General Conditions Form M-100 Modified • Condition of Site, Provision of Traffic, Provision of a road throughout the work, and Access to properties adjoining the work • Special Provisions – General (Section D – the “pinks”) • A single page, contract specific, describing the requirements for “Provision of Operational Traffic Lanes” • No contract items for: • Traffic Control Plan • Police Assistance at Intersections • Construction Site Pedestrian Control • Pedestrian Barrier • Granular “A” or asphalt for temporary sidewalks. • Very General, not very site specific

7. Somerset Street – Tendered 1994 • RMOC – General Conditions Form M-100 Modified • Condition of Site, Provision of Traffic, Provision of a road throughout the work, and Access to properties adjoining the work • Special Provisions – General (Section D – the “pinks”) • A two-page, contract specific “Provisions of Operational Traffic Lanes and Pedestrian Walkway” • A standard special provision General D-015-Provision of Access • Acknowledgement of Funeral Home Requirements (now included in D-005) • No contract items for: • Traffic Control Plan • Police Assistance at Intersections • Construction Site Pedestrian Control • Pedestrian Barrier • Granular “A” or asphalt for temporary sidewalks • Somewhat more site specific and prescriptive, but still very general.

8. Richmond Road – Tendered in 2004 • Modified OPS General Conditions • Supplemental General Conditions – Section D • D-005-Traffic Control – 2 pages • Limitations of Operations (Contract specific) Addressed • No work on weekends (Westboro BIA requirement) • Special Events requirements (WestFest) • Noise prohibitions • Street lighting requirements during construction • Bilingual site signage • And, contract items for: • Traffic Management Plan • Construction Site Pedestrian Control – minimum clear sidewalk widths specified • Granular “A” for Temporary Pedestrian Walkway • Information Signage (way finding) • A big move forward, some tools to work with!

9. Bank Street – Tendered in 2008 • Modified OPS General Conditions • Supplemental General Conditions – Section D • D-016-Reference to the Ontario Traffic Manual • D-005-Control of Vehicular and Pedestrian Traffic - 9 pages! • D-008-Priority of Work and Operational Constrains - 5 pages! • D-019-Incentive/Disincentive • Given spatial limitations, the street was closed to vehicular traffic • It was considered more important to provide for pedestrians than vehicles • Bank and Laurier – noon-hour counts 3856 pedestrians crossing vs. 785 vehicle approaches

10. Bank Street • And, contract items for: • Traffic Control Plan • Police Assistance at Intersection • Construction Site Pedestrian Control • Steel Interlocking Pedestrian Barrier • Granular “A” for Temporary Pedestrian Walkway • Wayfinding Signs • Incentive/Disincentive • Very specific and prescriptive of expectations, requirements and tools available for site staff and contractors to use to provide better accessibility and mobility.

11. Where is “here”? Great progress over the past 25 years on “how we build” projects and how we mitigate construction impacts through a culture of continuous improvement.

12. Where is “here”? (Cont’d) Regardless, there is still room for improvement!

13. Where is “here”? (Cont’d) • 2005 - Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) introduced • Section 7 of the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (IASR) introduced • November, 2012 - City of Ottawa introduced Accessibility Design Standards • In summary, providing accessible construction sites is no longer ‘policy’ – it is legislated.

14. Where is “here”? (Cont’d) • Currently - The City is updating the Accessibility Design Standards to include accessibility during construction, as well as developing an update for the Standard Tender Documents for Unit Price Contracts. • The AODA legislation is not specific or prescriptive on techniques or treatments to be employed. • The City has looked at solutions developed elsewhere in Ontario (Toronto) and the U.S. in developing measures for Ottawa.

15. The “Accessibility Design Standards” Update: A Brief Overview • Still in draft form • It is anticipated to be finalized in June, 2014. • Will identify requirements for accessibility during construction including: • Public Notifications • Pedestrian Circulation – including cane detectable boundary protection for those with impaired vision 1. Public Notifications 2. Pedestrian Circulation

16. The “Accessibility Design Standards” Update: A Brief Overview (Cont’d) • Development of an “Alternative Accessible Pedestrian Route (APAR)” if the existing facility is not available. • Barricade location and requirements 4. Barricade location and requirements

17. The “Accessibility Design Standards” Update: A Brief Overview (Cont’d) • Temporary ramp details

18. The “Accessibility Design Standards” Update: A Brief Overview (Cont’d) • Signage

19. How do we move forward?

20. Input from the CEO and NCHCA: The City has asked both the CEO and the NCHCA for feedback on the draft “Accessibility Design Standards” update for accessibility during construction. Jointly, we agree that the following four key elements are required for successful implementation: • Develop a balanced approach and understanding of the requirements by all parties • Consistency in implementation on all projects • Contract specific items for accessibility • Educate, train, and inform staff on AODA requirements

21. Some initial thoughts from the Consulting Engineering Community: The City should consider: • Some projects may warrant an “Accessibility Study” to document pre-construction conditions (similar to what is now done for vehicular traffic) • The potential impact on schedule and duration needs to be considered early in the life of the project • New provisional contract items, with fixed unit rates (where appropriate), to provide enhanced accessibility on construction sites. • Develop an approved materials list for accessibility products to be used in construction • Develop a series of standard detail drawings to assist and provide consistency when preparing accessibility plans (similar to OTM Book 7) • Ensure that accessibility is discussed at the pre-construction meeting and is an item on the agenda for progress meetings

22. Some initial thoughts from a Contractor’s perspective: • Learning curve for everyone: • City of Ottawa staff, consultants, contractors, public stakeholders and suppliers need to work together to implement the new process • A new mindset has to be developed among workers, site inspectors, project managers, and contract administrators • Start with developing best practices in the field • Time required to define scope and expectations: • Every job site will pose different challenges • There will be some trial and error utilizing new products

23. Some initial thoughts from a Contractor’s perspective (Cont’d): • Implications of new requirements: • Could include/require additional costs to the contract to implement measures • Could include/require additional time to complete contract works • Short, medium and long duration requirements may have different solutions • Suppliers will play an integral role: • New materials have to be brought in to meet new requirements • Over time, suppliers will source different products • As new products prove to work well, availability and cost will improve

24. Some initial thoughts from a Contractor’s perspective (Cont’d): • Accessibility/Mobility constraints will determine how a project is constructed: • Existing sidewalks may need to remain in place much longer with on-going maintenance during construction • New temporary asphalt sidewalks may need to be constructed within that part of the right-of-way, which will eventually be traffic lanes • Traffic lanes may have to be reduced to maintain accessibility to pedestrians (APAR)

25. Some initial thoughts from a Contractor’s perspective (Cont’d): • Providing accessibility is not an “extra” to the contract, it is a legislated requirement and there must be a clear and consistent approach to implementing and maintaining accessibility on construction sites.

26. Continue to develop Best Practices: • The recent reconstruction of Woodroffe Avenue is a good example of the evolving approach to reconstruction where the roadway was converted to a one-way street temporarily and reconstructed a half-road at a time, maximizing accessibility.

27. Continue to develop Best Practices (Cont’d): • The NCHCA is considering: • Developing an online toolbox of Best Practices for accessibility. • An education session where products for accessibility during construction will be displayed by suppliers. • We need to continue to work together to develop cost-effective Best Practices for the safe and efficient flow of vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists and those with disabilities on our construction sites

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