A project on Coverdale Street in Chatham has some residents flustered over what appears to be a wavy sidewalk, however, municipal officials are putting lingering safety concerns to rest.
A Facebook post on Chatham Rant and Rave, showing pictures of the sidewalk, quickly received hundreds of comments. While some complaints were pointed at the Municipality of Chatham-Kent or the contractor questioning why the finished product turned out this way, others had to do with safety and liability concerns -- more so in winter conditions.
Chris Thibert, director of engineering and transportation, said since completing the project in mid-October, the municipality has been fielding calls and is well aware of what's being said on social media. Thibert said the subdivision was due for a new sidewalk, however, varying grades left them with limited options.
"The driveways are very steep and the front yards adjacent to these driveways are very high, that immediately posed a challenge. We cannot alter the grade of a driveway and put a speed bump in the driveway," said Thibert. "Therefore, we had to stick to the grades of the driveways and transition back up at every front yard."
The only other alternative municipal staff considered had to do with dropping the elevation of each front yard, but Thibert said that would have posed as a greater safety risk.
"We measured [and] we verified that the slopes and the transitions and the grades out there are in conformance with the Ontario Provincial Standards as well as the Ontario Accessibility Standards for sidewalks," he said.
Sidewalk on Coverdale Street in Chatham. November 6, 2019. (Photo by Kirk Dickinson).
"It may appear quite drastic but in fact, when you actually go out and walk it, it's not as bad as it looks... That opinion could be challenged, which I can appreciate, but really it's manageable, we will keep an eye on it, and we will make sure compliance is met."
As for safety concerns for when ice starts to form and then eventually melt, Thibert said the water will be able to travel from front yards to the road, "eliminating any risk of ponding or collecting water within the sidewalk itself."
Chatham Councillor Karen Kirkwood-Whyte took a stroll on Coverdale Street -- accompanied with a couple of people from the municipality's engineering department -- after receiving a call from a local resident. She said there's no question, the sidewalk "is different" but after hearing from the engineers, it's not something she plans to bring up at an upcoming council meeting.
"When I heard the explanation of why it had to be done the way it was done, it made sense to me," said Kirkwood-Whyte.
The local councillor also mentioned that only one person called her to complain about the sidewalk and many people who complained about it on Facebook, don't actually live in the area.
Thibert mentioned that the "wavy sidewalk" is not an uncommon occurrence. When compared to some other sidewalks in Chatham-Kent, the difference on Coverdale Street has to do with how close together the driveways are for a longer stretch.
"We actually have very similar situations all throughout Chatham-Kent but they're more gradual... here we have a whole bunch of them so tightly together that gives that very unique appearance," said Thibert.
Despite some complaints, Thibert said this is not something that warrants an immediate reconstruction.
"The next time that we go in to do a total renovation of the street -- it may not be for quite some time because right now everything down that street is in fair condition -- but the next time we're going in to do any significant digging, modification to the road, storm sewer, or sanitary sewer replacement where we need to get into the boulevard that will then be the opportunity to do some grade correction and maybe flatten everything out," said Thibert.
