Visual quality
People want to add benches, especially in commercial areas
We are also planning for the visual quality of the project area. This means amenities that shape the character of a street, like trees, plants and furnishings.
Community members have shared their input on the visual quality design, including prioritizing adding trees in boulevards, providing benches (especially in commercial areas) and integrating public art with infrastructure instead of freestanding pieces.
Not all visual quality amenities can be incorporated due to budget, space and maintenance constraints.
Our next step is to prepare visual quality manual and construction plans for the project. We will share more information later in 2026.
Tree impacts and next steps
In a 2026 survey, people prioritized adding trees in boulevards as the most important element.
Our forestry experts have analyzed every single tree in the public right-of-way along Robert St. to understand which are diseased, in poor health or would otherwise not survive construction. These trees will need to be removed before construction.
We work hard to minimize the impact on trees. Reconstruction projects involving utility replacements are harder on root systems because we need to dig deeper and wider to rebuild the road.
We will replant a diverse range of resilient trees that are the right size for boulevards, overhead power lines and changing weather patterns. The design of Robert St. – along with the trees that are anticipated to be planted along the road – is more conducive to supporting healthy trees in the long term. Wider boulevards allow for larger trees with more room for their root systems to grow.