Brady Green Stairs project to transform concrete parkette into green walkway

Construction is underway downtown to transform what was once a concrete parkette and an underground storage unit into a park and link to Memorial Park.

The City of Greater Sudbury is currently working on what it calls the Brady Green Stairs project. It's where the off ramp from Brady Street meets the split at Elgin and Durham Streets.

It's a project in the Downtown Sudbury Master Plan, with a price tag of $1.2 million.

"It's intended to provide a park space and a green link between Durham and Elgin and the Memorial Park," manager of community and strategic planning, Kris Longston said.

He says an underground storage unit, previously used by the city's recreation department was demolished. The hydro vault that is on the site remains, while the former Durham Street parkette will be transformed.

The off ramp for motorized traffic is open during construction.

"There's quite a bit of engineering work that's going on in a relatively small space there," Longston said.

He added that most of the cost for the project is going toward structural and engineering work due to the ramp and the proximity to Durham Street.

"There was some significant engineering work that was required to shore up the road, to demolish the building and to maintain the hydro vault.."

"The end result will be repairs to the structural integrity, but also the parkette and downtown public space that Brady Green Stair will provide," he said.

Longston says despite the project being labelled the Brady Green Stairs project there won't be stairs. Instead an accessible pedestrian ramp will be added.

"In order to make the project AODA [Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act] compliant, it's actually going to be a ramp, not stairs," he said.

Along with the pedestrian ramp, the final project will include seating opportunities, green space and a link to nearby Memorial Park. It's expected to be completed by the end of the summer.

"The hope is definitely that it provides not only a meeting space but also that nice pedestrian access from the commercial area on Durham Street down into Memorial Park."