Cambridge: King Street and Coronation Boulevard

There is limited space in the King Street right of way to provide separated space for all users. By removing one through lane in each direction on the King Street portion of the corridor and providing for left turn lanes, where they are needed, we can reallocate space for both pedestrians and cyclists as well as appropriate buffers, utility areas, and snow storage. The volume of vehicle traffic along the King Street section is lower than the Coronation Boulevard section, and four lanes are being retained with the proposed Coronation Boulevard alternatives.

The space required for the inclusion of bike facilities along Coronation Boulevard is proposed to be taken in part from the existing center islands. However, there are two alternatives presented for the amount of center island to remain. The first alternative (Alternative 2A) is where the center island width is reduced but preserved and the second alternative (Alternative 2B) would have the center island removed completely through this section of roadway. Drawings of these two alternatives are available under the "Key Documents" sidebar on this engage site.

The Region constructed a new trunk watermain along Coronation Boulevard as part of the Zone 1W watermain upgrades in 2021. The watermain upgrades along Coronation Boulevard were required at an earlier date than the planned road construction (currently scheduled for 2025/2026), since it was needed to solve historical issues with water pressure, water quality, and available fire flow in some areas of Preston. The watermain was designed to ensure that it will not conflict with future road upgrades or underground servicing along Coronation Boulevard, and no further modifications to that watermain will be required during the road construction work. In addition, trunk watermain construction is a more complex undertaking than typical underground servicing work, and it would have added significant time and effort to the road project if it was not completed earlier.

Review of the cycling needs along this roadway was completed as part of the Region’s Transportation Master Plan, which has the goal of balancing the needs of all users, including vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians. The inclusion of bike facilities was noted along King Street and Coronation Boulevard in order to complete connections to existing bike facilities located at either end of the project limits and to provide a connection between Preston and Galt.

The pavement condition on King Street and Coronation Boulevard is in fair to poor condition, due to the age of the asphalt, and requires replacement along with upgrades to the underground storm sewer system. Additionally, the City of Cambridge identified the existing watermain and sanitary sewer to be in poor condition and requiring replacement. As such, proposed works include replacement of the underground services for a significant length of this project.