Abstract Manager

The City of Mississauga is working to transform Bloor Street into a multi-modal complete street by providing travel choice and improving safety for all road users. The east-west major collector road extends approximately 6 km from Central Parkway East to the Mississauga-Toronto border at Etobicoke Creek. The corridor is currently characterized by suburban-style low land use to the west, and medium-to-high density residential and commercial land uses which are undergoing intensification to the east.

Through the development of multiple design alternatives and four rounds of public consultation, City Council approved the preliminary design for a “road diet” in June 2023. The existing 4-lane road will be reconstructed as a 3-lane road with boulevard cycle tracks and wider sidewalks on both sides of the road. There will be additional space for landscaping, including improved transit stops. The design also incorporates stormwater management, intersection and illumination improvements. The resulting improvements will decrease vehicular travel speeds and will provide a safer environment for all road users.

The project scope considered many community concerns regarding the need for improvements for pedestrians, cyclists, transit users, speed mitigation and other issues. The project scope also included the integration of City objectives for Vision Zero, asset management, stormwater management and active transportation. The opportunity to bundle improvements with planned rehabilitation will reduce construction costs and minimize disruption to the local community and travelling public.

The City completed a comprehensive and extensive engagement process with the public and external agencies, which included four rounds Community Meetings, three Technical Agency Committee meetings, and continuous correspondence with other stakeholders and interest groups.

The transformation of Bloor Street will support the City’s goals of:

1. Creating an urban neighbourhood environment that meets the planning objectives of the City’s Vision Zero Action Plan;
2. Providing protected and dedicated cycling infrastructure;
3. Providing additional space for landscaping and trees;
4. Minimizing impacts to existing utilities and hydro poles; and
5. Providing a solution that is cost effective from a maintenance and operations point-of-view.

This presentation will provide valuable lessons learned to other municipalities on the decisions and challenges involved with re-designing a historically suburban corridor into a multi-modal “complete” street.