Hamilton begins lane reduction, reconfiguration on Main and King streets this week

The City of Hamilton has begun lane reduction and reconfiguration work on Main and King streets as part of a safety revamp of the city’s most collision-prone roads.

Crews worked overnight Monday (Aug. 15) to reduce the number of travel lanes on Main St. from five to four between Dundurn St. and Sherman Ave.

As part of the lane reconfiguration, a pedestrian buffer will be added to the south lane of Main, and bump-outs will be implemented at various locations along the street.

“This measure will help reduce the number of sideswipe collisions throughout the corridor due to narrow lane widths,” according to the city.

Additionally, a designated bus-only lane will be implemented in the south lane at Main and MacNab St., and a transit signal will be added at the intersection to prioritize transit buses.

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The restriping of lanes and associated works will take place during the overnight hours and is expected to take five nights to complete, wrapping up by Aug. 20, 2022 — weather permitting.

“Motorists are reminded to pay close attention to the updated pavement markings, be aware of traffic conditions and anticipate delays,” the city said.

“Motorists are also reminded to pay attention to other measures, including ‘No Right Turn on Red’ restrictions and leading pedestrian signal intervals at intersections along Main and King.

The city began implementing “quick changes” to Main last week ahead of the full conversion from a one-way to a two-way street.

No right on red. New ladder crosswalks. Lane reduction. Leading pedestrian intervals. Conversion of travel lane to on-street parking. The first wave of “quick starts” for improving Main Street are rolling out. Design for full two-way “complete street” conversion is underway. pic.twitter.com/l3COcoOor6

— Jason Thorne (@[email protected]) (@JasonThorne_RPP) August 3, 2022

In addition to the lane reconfiguration work, various immediate measures focusing on roadway safety improvements have been implemented along Main and King between Dundurn and Delta:

• Council has approved “No Right Turn on Red” (NRTOR) restrictions, and implementation has been completed on Main.
• Pedestrian “countdown” signals (PCS) installations have begun on Main, with all intersections between Dundurn and Sanford Ave. completed. The remainder of the intersections is expected to be installed by end of August.
• Leading Pedestrian intervals have been added to intersections on Main between Locke St. and Victoria St., with the remainder expected to be installed by end of August.
• Ladder crossings have been implemented at most intersections on Main and King.
• A preliminary design for the pedestrian scramble at Main and Summer’s Lane has been completed. The project will be tendered, and construction is expected to commence in late 2022 or early 2023.
• Implementation of NRTOR restrictions, pedestrian countdown timers and leading pedestrian intervals on King will commence following the work on Main.
• The City has engaged with a consultant, WSP, to develop alternative concepts for evaluation and undertake an assessment of capital improvement costs, construction timing and required approvals.

Hamilton city council passed a motion last May to convert Main, which has a disproportionately higher accident rate than other streets. Overall, the city had just reached double-digit pedestrian deaths within a few months when Hamilton typically averages around four per year.

The annual collision reports reveal an over-representation of serious injuries and fatal collisions along Main and King in Hamilton. The motion also called for a safety assessment of King, which is already facing restructuring due to the implementation of light rail transit (LRT) along the corridor.

According to the council motion, the conversion of the four-lane Main “will enable safer use for all people who need to use the streets, including public transit riders, pedestrians, motorists, and cyclists.”

They were instructed to report back to council in “early 2023” with an implementation plan for the two-way conversion of Main that includes an assessment of costs, construction timing, and resource requirements.

The project is being funded through the city’s road safety capital budget at a limit of $400,000.