While people in Burnaby’s Riverside neighbourhood are happy to see the city moving ahead with improvements to area roadways, some are also frustrated by a lack of communication from city hall regarding the projects.
Work on widening Willard Street near 12th Avenue began in August, and while residents received a notice that roadwork was being done, there wasn’t much information included.
Frank Mesich was one resident who wrote in to the city about the communication issue. His letter was included in a recent council correspondence package.
“I have always been under the impression that any major project by the city required not only community consultation about the work that will be done but a formal detailed communication of some sort regarding the extent of the work to be done,” he wrote. “Who is responsible for community consultation, and who has the details of the roadwork being implemented and any other non-disclosed work for Riverside?”
Mesich and other area residents have been asking for road improvements due to safety concerns in the neighbourhood for well over a year.
The engineering department contacted Mesich after receiving his letter, and he received more information, he told the NOW. But the initial letter sent to area residents didn’t include any information about scope of work, timeline, or the fact that the work was in response to concerns raised by area residents, he added.
“They did contact me back, which is really great,” Mesich said, but added there was a lot of confusion in the community, particularly when hedges and fences were torn down, with some people thinking the city was ripping up parts of the neighbourhood without consultation with the homeowners.
However, that was not the case, Mesich said.
Mesich said he was told that the city only has to provide detailed information to residents about projects with budgets over $5 million.
“They should have had, regardless of whether it’s a $5 million project or a $1 million project… it would’ve been nice if they had communication with us saying, ‘This is what we’re going to do, and it’s in response to what you had requested,’” Mesich said.
The erosion along the sides of the roads in the area is of particular concern, as is the lack of sidewalks and lighting, according to Mesich.
“It was sloping on either side, and the safest way to drive on that road was in the middle of the road,” he said of Willard Street.
Mesich and other residents concerned about road and pedestrian safety met with city officials and staff at NDP MLA Raj Chouhan’s office in January to discuss the issues.
On Jan. 21, a man’s body was found in a water-filled ditch on Willard Street, and the cause of death was ruled accidental.
The roadwork on Willard Street is being done to address residents’ concerns, James Lota, assistant director of engineering, projects, confirmed for the NOW.
“We’re widening the road a bit – the road that was there was pretty old and ratty,” he said, adding B.C. Hydro is putting lights on their poles there next year.
Work on Willard Street is expected to be done by the end of this year, he said, and then work on Meadow Avenue near 12th Avenue is scheduled to start next year.
