Nearby streets to become one-way in light of the fact the crossing no longer meets safety standards

Changes are coming to the rail crossing at Dublin Street just north of Waterloo Avenue. Tony Saxon/GuelphToday

1 / 1 Changes are coming to the rail crossing at Dublin Street just north of Waterloo Avenue. Tony Saxon/GuelphToday

The Dublin Street rail crossing just north of Waterloo Avenue is going to be closed to all traffic in April.

The move means Northumberland Street and Kent Street will become one-way streets.

According to the city, 2,000 people drive across the railway crossing each day and roughly 230 people walk across it.

A City of Guelph news release Friday said that the crossing no longer meets safety standards.

“The railway crossing at Dublin Street no longer meets Transport Canada regulations based on updates made to the Railway Safety Act in 2019. The City is working with Metrolinx, the owner of the rail line, to plan the closure of the railway crossing at Dublin to make sure that people walking, cycling and driving through this area are safe.”

It will be closed to all vehicles, cyclists and pedestrian traffic.

The city said that upgrading the crossing to meet new regulations means increasing the distance between nearby Kent Street and levelling the area and moving the train signals.

“This would require the City to expropriate land and houses, and close large portions of upper and lower Kent Street, making this work unfeasible,” the city said in its release.

Metrolinx provided the following statement:

"Safety is critical to our work. Metrolinx is working closely with the City of Guelph to ensure the continued safety of those who live, work and commute near this busy rail line. All of the level crossings through Guelph are being evaluated for safety as part of our planning for more service on the corridor. For matters involving road configurations, please contact the City of Guelph as this is municipal jurisdiction."

There will be changes to adjacent roads to accommodate traffic flow as a result of the road closure.

Northumberland Street will become a one-way, eastbound road between Dublin and Kent streets

upper Kent Street will become a one-way, westbound road between Northumberland and Glasgow streets

lower Kent Street will become a one-way, westbound between Dublin and Glasgow streets

Stop signs in the area will be moved to accommodate the changes, said the city.

The city said traffic can be safely accommodated on parallel roads (Norfolk, Glasgow, Yorkshire and Edinburgh) with minimal impact.

Foot traffic and bicycle traffic will have to travel an extra 400 metres to cross at alternate locations, the city said.

“Staff will present a bylaw amendment to close Dublin Street at the railway crossing at the March 30 Council meeting. If the bylaw is approved, Metrolinx and the City will file a notice with the Canadian Transportation Authority and the closure will be planned for April.”