Victoria city councillors have endorsed a plan to replace an aging concrete railing on the Dallas Road seawall with a steel and cable design similar to fencing on the nearby Ogden Point breakwater.
Councillors acknowledged the nostalgic attachment that many people have to the “iconic” pale blue barrier that runs from Dock Street to Lewis Street.
“I like the old guard rails,” Coun. Geoff Young said. “I have to say, they look pretty neat.”
“I understand that there’s some attachment to them, because they are unusual,” Coun. Marianne Alto said.
“For whatever reason, when they were created back in the ’50s, they’re kind of interesting and cool and different than the usual things that we see.”
But Young, Alto and the other councillors agreed with city staff that it makes sense to install a less-expensive design that will improve pedestrian safety, provide additional sidewalk space and allow for better ocean views.
“Maybe it’s not pretty and nostalgic and Art deco, which is my absolute favourite way of looking at the world,” Alto said.
But she said the new design will improve accessibility by adding an extra half metre of width to the sidewalk. “Think about that if you’re in a chair or a device which is helping you move; that’s huge. So I’m not prepared to give that up.”
The existing railing is more than 60 years old and subject to corrosion and mounting repair costs.
A staff report concluded that it would be 2.5 times more expensive to retain and refurbish the old railing than it would be to install a modern steel and wire-cable design at a cost of about $1 million. The option of building a replica concrete railing was deemed more expensive as well.
The city had planned to look at replacing the railing next year in conjunction with installation of new sewer works, bike paths and sidewalks as part of the Capital Regional District’s Wastewater Treatment Project.
The CRD project, however, is ahead of schedule, so staff will investigate moving up the railing replacement as a way to save money and minimize disruptions due to construction. Councillors endorsed that strategy and approved $150,000 for detailed design and planning work.
Staff expect to report back in September. If they conclude that it makes sense to move ahead with the railing replacement immediately, construction could begin this fall.
