A section of the Lake to Lake Cycling Route and Walking Trail that runs through German Mills Settlers Park in Markham will be closed for several months during construction that’s scheduled to begin October 3.
A map showing a detour route along Don Mills Road will be posted at park entrances to guide trail users, who are encouraged to respect all posted construction signs and to stay clear of the work area and equipment.
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority in partnership with York Region and the City of Markham is repairing erosion that’s putting the sanitary sewer infrastructure and the multi-use trail at risk. Heavy construction should be completed in January 2023 and final restoration, including tableland tree plantings and trail resurfacing, will be completed in the spring as weather permits.
The Leslie Collector sanitary sewer was installed within the park in 1970. Since then, German Mills Creek naturally migrated within the floodplain and its banks have eroded, shifting close to or over the top of the sanitary sewer in several places.
The project is located along a 370-metre-long stretch of German Mills Creek west of Don Mills Road between John Street and Steeles Avenue East. It will involve realigning the watercourse to a historical channel alignment, which is further from the sewer and trail. Different types of bank protection will also be installed, including brush layering and reconstruction of an existing armourstone wall.
Habitat features for native wildlife will also be constructed, including woody debris to provide cover for aquatic species. Two oxbow wetlands will be connected to the watercourse, one of which will be newly created.
