Merritt, Mountain and Chesnut Street improvements / extensions

Municipal Class Environmental Assessment Study

The City of St. Catharines has initiated a Class Environmental Assessment to evaluate and recommend road improvements along Merritt Street, from Walnut Street to Glendale Avenue, and to consider extending Mountain Street, from Glendale Avenue to Chestnut Street. Additionally, the City is moving forward with implementation of the extension of Chestnut St. from Hastings Street to Brookdale Avenue, as included in the City’s Transportation Master Plan. The purpose of this study is to evaluate options, recommend preferred solutions and mitigate any potential negative environmental impacts posed by the proposed works.

Study Area

Merritt Street is a mixed-use corridor. The majority of the area is zoned Medium Density Mixed Use, with two properties zoned Community Institutional. The City aims to improve the quality and appearance of this corridor as a transportation route, including improved pedestrian and cyclist amenities. Merritt Street does not have designated bicycle lanes, however the road is identified as an existing bike route in the City’s Official Plan.

Chestnut Street is in a predominantly Low Density Residential area with some Medium Density Mixed Use properties at the intersection of Chestnut Street and Merritt Street. The City plans to extend Chestnut Street, from Hastings Street to Brookdale Avenue, connecting the east and west portions. Chestnut Street does not have bike lanes, however the possibility of adding them will be examined during this study.

There is currently an existing access driveway to the Mountain Locks Plaza, and other land owned by the City, to Chestnut Street. The study will examine creating an extension of Mountain Street from Glendale Avenue to the Chestnut Street extension on these lands.

Process

The project is being planned under ‘Schedule B’ of the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment process (October 2000, as amended in 2007, 2011 and 2015). This notice signals the commencement of the study, which will define the problem / opportunity, identify and evaluate alternative solutions, and determine a preferred solution in consultation with the City of St. Catharines, regulatory agencies, affected stakeholders and the general public.

Public and review agency consultation is a key element of the process and input will be sought throughout the study. Two Public Information Centres will be held virtually, which will provide an opportunity for members of the public to review the alternative solutions and provide comments.

At the study conclusion, the Class EA process will be documented in a Project File, which will be made available for a minimum of 30 calendar days for public review and comment. A Notice of Study Completion will be issued at that stage.

Project Updates

June 22, 2026

Merritt / Chestnut / Mountain streets Road Reconstruction and Underground Improvements - Construction Notice

The City of St. Catharines is carrying out road improvements along Merritt Street (from Walnut Street to Glendale Avenue); the extension of Chestnut Street from Hastings Street to Mountain; a portion of Mountain Street from Glendale Avenue to Chestnut Street; and a new pedestrian multi-use path and sidewalk that will connect Chestnut Street East to Chestnut Street West.

Project Information and Details

The scope of the construction project includes:

• Full Road reconstruction, including concrete curbs and gutters, asphalt pavement structures, street lighting, retaining wall system installation with drainage and grading improvements.
• New accessible sidewalks, walkways / multi-use trails to enhance and expand the city's active transportation network, including traffic signal and pedestrian crossover improvements and traffic-calming measures.
• Replacing the existing cast iron watermains with a new PVC watermain. This will include the replacement of any substandard water services within the road allowance to the property line and reconnection of all water services to the new watermain within the project limits.
• Installation and replacement of sewer infrastructure, including sanitary and storm sewers, improvements.

• New streetscaping and landscaping, as necessary, that may get disturbed during construction.

Construction Information and Details

Peters Excavating Inc. has been awarded the construction contract. Construction for this project is anticipated to start in mid to late July 2026 and will continue until December 2026 (weather-dependent), with final restorations potentially into the spring of 2027. The map above shows the general area and the project limits.

Every effort will be made to maintain access to abutting properties and to minimize inconvenience to businesses, residents, pedestrians, and motorists. A City Construction Inspector will be present on the site during construction and can be contacted for information.

To protect construction workers and the public and to complete the work safely and in a timely manner, temporary lane restrictions will be in place for most construction operations. Road closures and detours will be avoided as much as possible. Although the contractor will implement necessary traffic control measures, minor traffic congestion or delays will be unavoidable at certain times. Construction will take place in stages, and there may be delays between each stage.

The contractor will ensure that Emergency Services have access to properties throughout the construction period. Please contact us if you have any specific accessibility requirements or concerns. Although the contractor is required to provide safe pedestrian access, care should be exercised when walking through or near any construction zones.

The contractor will be using City right-of-way property, including boulevards, for storage of materials used for the construction works. Restoration of boulevards will be completed at the end of the project.

Access to your driveway may be interrupted for a period of time to pour curbs and/or reinstate the driveway. Every effort will be made to maintain access to abutting properties and to minimize inconvenience to businesses, residents and pedestrians.

The Contractor is required to provide you with advance notice of any interruption to access to your property.

In some cases, your property (lawn and driveway) may be disturbed during construction. The Contractor will carry out the necessary restoration, which in some cases will include the placement of new grass.

Driveways, if disturbed, will be repaired with the same material as the existing ones. Always avoid contact with hot asphalt or any construction material.

Pre-construction Inspections – Condition Survey

Prior to construction, representatives from OZA Inspections Ltd. will contact you to arrange an inspection / condition survey of the interior and exterior of your building. The purpose of this inspection is to determine and document any cracking or other damage prior to the commencement of construction. This information can then be used to determine the extent of the Contractor's responsibility in the unlikely event that any damage to your building occurs during construction. OZA Inspections Ltd. representatives will have identification with them.

Parking Restrictions

The work will require us to limit on-street parking during construction. Unfortunately, this is unavoidable due to the nature of the work, as crews need room to dig and bring materials in and out of the site safely. Residents and businesses are requested to please find alternative parking on adjacent streets when required during construction.

Garbage and Recycling Collection during Construction

As a result of the proposed construction on Merritt Street, Chestnut Street East, and Chestnut Street West, it may, at times, be difficult for the garbage and recycling vehicles to collect your curbside waste. Therefore, until the construction work is completed to the point where vehicles can travel safely in your area at their normal collection time, we request that curbside garbage and recycling be placed out for collection by 6:30 a.m. or, alternatively, by the evening before your scheduled curbside collection day. The garbage and recycling trucks will be dispatched regularly; however, if there is no access to pick up the curbside waste in front of your property due to construction, the construction crews may relocate the garbage to a more convenient area for pick-up before starting work each morning. Garbage bin collections on private property are not expected to be affected except for the possible traffic-related delays. Thank you for your cooperation in this regard.

Disruption to Water Service

Your water service will need to be shut off at some point during construction. This is so crews can connect newly installed watermains to the City’s existing watermain system and/or service lines to individual properties. You will be notified a minimum of 48 hours in advance of all planned water shutoffs. There is also the possibility of emergency unplanned water shutoffs. This can happen when watermains burst or when service lines are ruptured. Crews will restore your water service as quickly as possible during these circumstances. For both planned and unplanned water shutoffs, once water service is restored, we recommend running a cold water tap for five minutes prior to drinking tap water.

Restoration

Residents should note that at some locations, private irrigation / sprinkler systems may have been installed within the boulevards or easements. The City-owned boulevard, from the curb or edge-of-road to the property line, is part of the road allowance. The boulevard may or may not include a sidewalk. Such irrigation / sprinkler installations are prone to damage during maintenance or renewal of underground infrastructure and new utility installations. The City cannot be held liable for damage to anything installed in the boulevard without the City's approval. Therefore, residents and property managers are requested to identify and clearly mark any parts of their private irrigation/sprinkler systems within the boulevards prior to construction. The Construction Inspector will review and inform if any marked irrigation/sprinkler systems are in the way of the proposed construction. Damage to boulevards and / or driveway aprons due to construction will be restored once construction of the watermain is completed. If your boulevard or driveway is damaged during construction and is not restored, please contact us.

Health Precautions

Please be aware that the City’s contractors are required to strictly adhere to the health and safety guidelines for workplaces as required by the Province and local Public Health Authorities.

Project Contacts during Construction

We look forward to working with you and having the City’s Contractor complete this project professionally and in a timely manner. If you have any questions or require further information, please contact the inspector on-site or the Project Team member identified below.

The City of St. Catharines recognizes that construction is an inconvenience to residents and business owners. Every effort will be made to minimize any inconvenience and to carry out the work with as few service interruptions as possible. We thank you for your patience, and your cooperation will be greatly appreciated.

If you require disability accommodation or materials in an accessible format, contact accessibility@stcatharines.ca (External link)or call 905.688.5600.

Engineering, Facilities and Environmental Services - June 22, 2026

2026 Community Engagement

Ahead of construction, the City hosted a Public Open House on April 28, 2026 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 50 Church St., in the Burgoyne Woods Room, 3rd Floor.

A virtual Public Information Centre (PIC) ran between April 28 and May 12, 2026.

If you have any questions or comments regarding the project, please get in touch with one of the project team members identified below

Justin Slovak, B.Eng.

Consultant Project Manager

Urban & Environmental Management Inc. (UEM)

4701 St. Clair Ave. Suite 301

Niagara Falls, ON L2E 3S9

905.371.9764, ext. 287

jslovak@uemconsulting.com(External link)

Jim Stranges, C.E.T.

Senior Project Manager

City of St. Catharines

P.O. Box 3012, 50 Church St.

St. Catharines, ON L2R 7C2

905.980.7143

jstranges@stcatharines.ca(External link)

*Information collected will be used in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. With the exception of personal information, all comments will become part of the public record.

Engineering, Facilities and Environmental Services – Notice first issued on April 7, 2026.

2022 Community Engagement 

The City held its first PIC (Public Information Centre) on Nov. 15, 2022 to review alternative solutions and gather public comments. A second in-person PIC was held on April 16, 2024 to provide updates, identify changes, present preferred design alternative, obtain public and stakeholder input. Virtual engagement: materials and a comment sheet were available until April 2024.

Background

Oct. 6, 2025 - The 30-day review period for the Environmental Study Report (ESR) has concluded as part of the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment process for this project. The ESR has been revised to incorporate feedback from the public and government agencies received during the review period. This final updated version of the ESR meets the requirements of the Class EA process. Throughout this process, no significant issues or appeals were raised, allowing the project to proceed to implementation since the ESR has now received approval. The City of St. Catharines is now ready to move forward with the project, beginning with the finalization of the detailed design and then advancing to the construction phases, tentatively scheduled to start in late spring 2026.

View the Revised Environmental Study Report here

July 16, 2025 - The City of St. Catharines has completed a Class Environmental Assessment to evaluate and recommend road improvements along Merritt Street, from Walnut Street to Glendale Avenue, and to consider the extension of Chestnut Street from Hastings Street to Brookdale Avenue and Mountain Street from Glendale Avenue to Chestnut Street. The purpose of this study was to evaluate options, recommend preferred solutions and mitigate any potential negative environmental impacts posed by the proposed works

At this time, the City is proceeding with the improvements to Merritt Street and the extension of Chestnut Street and Mountain Street, but only providing a pedestrian connection to Chestnut Street West.

View the notice of completion here(External link)

View the Environmental Study Report here(External link)

The Study

The City of St. Catharines is undertaking a Class Environmental Assessment to evaluate and recommend road improvements along Merritt Street, from Walnut Street to Glendale Avenue, and to consider extending Mountain Street, from Glendale Avenue to Chestnut Street, as well as Chestnut Street from Hastings Street to Mountain Street. Additionally, the City is moving forward with establishing the right-of-way for the extension of Chestnut Street from Hastings Street to Brookdale Avenue, as included in the City’s Transportation Master Plan. However, at this time, the City is implementing an active transportation connection only to Chestnut Street West. The purpose of this study is to evaluate options, recommend preferred solutions and mitigate any potential negative environmental impacts posed by the proposed works.

The Process

The study is being carried out as a Schedule ‘C’ project following the requirements of the Municipal Class EA process, which is an approved process under the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act. This study will address the requirements of Phases 1 to 4 of the Municipal Class EA process. Once the study is complete, an Environmental Study Report will be prepared and available for public review and comment. A Notice of Completion will be issued at that stage.

Study Area

The study area includes:

• Merritt Street from 90m south of Almond Lane to Walnut Street

• Chestnut Street from Merritt Street to Glengarry Road

• Mountain Street from Glendale Avenue to the possible future extension of Chestnut Street

Comments

The public will be notified of the PICs through advertisements in local newspapers and on the City’s website. In addition, notifications will be hand-delivered to residents in the study area. Comments received will be reviewed and their consideration documented in the Project File. Information will be collected in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. With the exception of personal information, all comments will become part of the public record.