Road work in Old South was not a mistake, trees will be cut

A City of London engineer admits residents of Tecumseh Avenue East could have been more clearly informed about the number of trees that would be lost due to water and sewer line replacement work on the Old South street. 

• Trees set to fall over sewer work with city scrambling to see if mistakes were made

As CBC London reported yesterday, some residents on the stretch of Tecumseh Avenue East between Wortley Road and Cathcart Street are angry that new curbs poured last week are up to a foot lower than the ones they're replacing.

The grade change left roots exposed on some boulevard trees. Arborist Ian Johnston confirmed yesterday that some trees are now so unstable, they will have to be removed. 

When asked Tuesday about the exact number of trees that will be lost, Johnston told CBC: "I can't comment further."

In an emailed response to questions from CBC, Ugo DeCandido — a division manager in the city's construction administration department — said the street and curb grading was done correctly. 

"The profile of the street was changed in some locations to improve the drainage of the roadway, which meant lowering the curb and raising the curb in some areas," he said. "The east end of the road needed to be lowered in order to meet the minimum slope requirements noted in our city standards."

Regarding trees that will be lost, DeCandido said the city could have done a better job telling residents about the affect that changing the grade would have on trees. 

"We try hard to keep every tree we can," he said. "I think we sometimes leave some in we shouldn't and hope they will survive construction. 

"In a few cases, the trees were too close to the back of the curb and we should have identified them for removal instead of trying to work around them. And, while the new curb meets standards, we needed to articulate the impact of the elevation change earlier relative to the impacts on trees and private property."

DeCandido's statement came as little comfort to Tecumseh resident Jennifer Odegaard. 

"This is not what they had promised us," she said, referring to public meetings held last fall to inform residents about the project. "I really feel let down."

Odegaard's father-in-law, who lives across the street, also feels the city fell short of its obligation to inform residents the work could result in trees being lost. 

"I'm really disappointed that there was no consideration at all given to the trees, maintaining the trees in the design of the road," he said. "If they anticipated a problem, that should have been brought to our attention sooner."

Steps or ramps to houses 

The city will not alter the height of the curbs in response to residents' complaints. Today crews are busy pouring sidewalks on the south side of the street. 

The lower grade will mean some Tecumseh residents will get new ramps or steps to connect their front paths with the sidewalk. 

Jennifer Odegaard fears the new paths and steps won't be aesthetically pleasing. She worries this, combined with the street's sudden lack of trees, will drag down property values on the street. 

City contracted crews are doing similar work to replace old sewer and water lines on other residential streets in London's older neighbourhoods. New curbs are being poured on Victor Street in Old South after pipes beneath the street were replaced there. 

In Old North, new curbs were poured recently on St. George and Cheapside Streets after similar work.