A series of improvements are proposed for the west side of Wharf Road as part of the St, George’s Revitalization Project. These improvements include the construction of a new quay wall to increase the available land for pedestrian and vehicular circulation along Wharf Road, pedestrian circulation improvements, new lighting, landscaping and street furniture to increase the attractiveness of this area of the Carenage.
The west side of the Carenage, Wharf Road, has two distinct sectors. The northern most sector that mixes a working waterfront with vehicular and pedestrian circulation, and the southern sector that is more oriented to office uses and the commercial activity of the Downtown core.
At present, part of the allure of the west side of the Carenage, the northern sector, is its working waterfront nature, where the businesses on the landside of the street have a direct relationship with the small cargo vessels being unloaded on the waterside. The proposed improvements aim at maintaining and enhancing this working waterfront use while, at the same time, improving the pedestrian characteristics of the area. The reconstruction of the quay wall will be done in a manner that will create additional land area to include a wider pedestrian circulation path both along the water’s edge and landside, to allow better accommodation for both pedestrian and vehicular traffic when ships are unloading; and, at times when there is no unloading activity, a wider and more attractive pedestrian area. The drawings on the following pages illustrate this concept for the development north of Young Street.
South of Young and Matthew Streets, south to Turtle Back Restaurant, the SGRP also proposes the expansion of the quay wall to create additional land area for pedestrian and vehicular circulation as well as the extension of a new road to near St. George Point providing additional parking by Turtle Back Restaurant and an alternate access to the General Hospital and additional parking to serve the Hospital.
A new traffic circle is proposed to better distribute traffic at the intersection of Matthew and Wharf Road. This new traffic circle will also become a landmark on the Carenage, highlighting the access to the Sendall Tunnel and the gateway to downtown from this part of the city.
A new parking area, that takes advantage of the shallow water area along the Turtle Back Restaurant, is proposed. This new parking area will provide an additional 42 spaces to serve this sector of the city, improving visitor access with the consequent improved economic development.
Under the proposed SGRP concept Wharf Road will be extended past the restaurant sector south to near the edge of Ft. George Point. Taking advantage of the shallow areas along this sector of the coast line, the quay wall will be extended and additional land area will be created to include Wharf Road and additional parking to serve the General Hospital. The new Wharf Road extension will allow access to a parking area with capacity for 102 vehicles. This parking area will serve the parking needs of the General Hospital. A new vehicular circulation access will be provided from the terminus of Wharf Road to the General Hospital. This will improve access to the Hospital for emergency access, to patients and staff.
