Fallingbrook residents benefit from major investment

Councillor Stephen Blais is proud to announce the City is making a significant investment in sidewalk infrastructure in Fallingbrook.

The sidewalk extension will take place on Gardenway Drive from Thicket Way to Paradise Crescent eastwardly representing an investment of over $310,000 in the community. This will ensure sidewalks on both sides of Gardenway Drive from Portobello Blvd. to Charlemagne.

“Investments such as this will help improve the accessibility of the Fallingbrook community,” says Blais. “The sidewalk extension will ensure pedestrians have seamless access to traverse Fallingbrook on the safety of a sidewalk.”

The main proposed upgrades to the sidewalk area include:

• New concrete sidewalk on the south side of Gardenway Drive.
• Relocate the curb at both ends of the new sidewalk and realign to match the existing curb in between.
• Upgrade the existing asphalt bus pads to concrete bench pads and install new bench pads.

The lack of a south side sidewalk on Gardenway has been a concern for years and Councillor Blais first recognized the issue while serving as Catholic School Trustee for the area.

“It didn’t make sense that the City was asking kids to jaywalk across a busy street like Gardenway while walking to school,” Blais remembers. “We’ve changed the culture at City Hall to ensure projects like these in our suburban communities get the attention they deserve.”

This investment in pedestrian safety is one of many that Councillor Blais has delivered, with well over $100 million invested in local infrastructure since 2011.

“Road safety is a top concern of mine, especially for pedestrians,” says Blais. “This sidewalk project helps make the neighbourhood a more walkable, safer place.”

A public information session on the project will be held Wednesday, March 8, 2017 from 7 to 9 pm at the Ray Friel Community Centre in the Fallingbrook Room.

The project is slated to occur in 2017.