The University of Waterloo is expanding its campus and creating new spaces and the region is building new roads to help us get there.<br />
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During past weeks, construction of a new roundabout has been taking place on Westmount Road.<br />
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The roundabout, named “Street B,” will provide access to UW’s northwest campus, and will be located in northwest campus, between Columbia Street and Bearinger Road. This new street will be a continuation of Laurelwood Drive, and will be the first stage of development of the northwest campus area.<br />
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The City of Waterloo is also constructing three fields and amenities on a portion of land that borders Laurel Creek. The city leased this land from UW in the beginning of 2006.<br />
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The new sports field and amenities were part of a 2006 proposal to the City of Waterloo that included the construction of the Harper Public Library and a YMCA club. The northwest campus development design guidelines were last approved in October of 2012. Street B will connect to the Laurelwood neighbourhoods to the west via the Stork Family YMCA and Harper Library. It will also make connections eastward to the R&T Park. <br />
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This new area will also support the construction of new university buildings and facilities as stated in the original proposal: “In addition to the existing YMCA/library, this will include university buildings and technology intensive companies undertaking applied research and innovative product development in co-operation with the university. The streets will connect into the broader city grid and Street B — the main street- — will provide connections to the Laurelwood neighbourhood to the west, and in the long term transit and UW northwest campus and pedestrian connection to the R&T Park.”<br />
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The development will also include two additional streets named Street A and C.<br />
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“Two secondary ‘university’ streets (Streets A and C) provide north-south connectivity through the northwest campus. These streets will be designed and constructed in a similar fashion to the east-west public street, although without the central median,” the proposal said.<br />
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The construction of the roundabout is expected to be finished by late fall.