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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, July 1, 2010 · 4 Two new highways could be cutting across Halton By Tim Foran METROLAND WEST MEDIA GROUP Halton could one day be the destination points for two new provincial highways and both could potentially impact the region's natural heritage system, specifically in north Burlington, Milton and Halton Hills, according to Regional staff. Transportation studies of the Guelph to York Region (GTA West) corridor and Niagara to GTA corridor by Ontario's Ministry of Transportation (MTO) have identified the need for new roads in the future, according to information reviewed by regional council Wednesday. The GTA West study has identified a route for a four-lane road running from Hwy. 401 in Milton through Halton Hills and north Peel Region to Hwy. 427. The road would then be six lanes from Hwy. 427 to its termination at Hwy. 400 in north Vaughan. The MTO and its consultants have narrowed down potential route alignments to two options -- one terminating in Milton near the Hwy. 401/407 junction and the other near Tremaine Road. The latter option would provide more economic and transportation benefits and be slightly cheaper, according to material presented at a recent public information centre in Georgetown. The Niagara to GTA study, meanwhile, has identified the need for a new road, preferably running westwards from approximately Hwy. 403 and Hwy. 6 in Ancaster before turning back east and going through Flamborough before connecting to Hwy. 407 near Walkers Line in north Burlington. Regional staff stated in reports to council the two roads have the potential to impact the natural environment in Halton, as well as agricultural and rural lands. Both impacts to air quality and transportation and economic drawbacks or benefits will also have to be considered, the reports added. "There is no timeline for implementation," cautioned MTO spokesperson Will Mackenzie. "We are going through the process to ensure that in future, if it becomes necessary to build a new highway, we have the land protected (and that) it won't have been turned into residential subdivisions. "For example, Hwy. 407 was built on a corridor that had been protected (for) 30 years before construction began." The MTO is recommending a "building blocks" approach to accommodating transportation demands in the two corridors over the next 20 years. They include: · Optimizing existing networks, including examining implementation of bus bypass shoulders or reversible lanes on highways to encouraging carpooling; · Expanding non-road infrastructure and building on Metrolinx's The Big Move transit plan, which calls for electrified Go Transit trains on the Lakeshore West corridor and all-day, two-way train service to Georgetown and Milton · Widening existing highways, including Hwys. 401, 403, 407, 6 and the QEW in Halton · Creating the new transportation corridors mentioned above However, it is the last point -- the prospect of cars cutting through Halton on new highways -- that has some regional politicians raising a red rather than checkered flag. Milton Regional Councillor Colin Best has said he doesn't like the GTA West routes that terminate at Hwy. 401 in Milton. His preference was for the road to go through north Halton and finish at Hwy. 6 near Puslinch or Guelph, alternatives which have been dismissed after study by the MTO. The two Hwy. 401 alternatives could result in the loss of land designated for employment by the Region as well as affecting Milton and Halton Hills farmers, explained Best. At a recent regional council meeting, Burlington Regional Councillor John Taylor said the majority of the planning committee members were "shocked" by the suggested route for a new road through north Burlington. He said that was the same plan the Province had in 2002 before the Ministry of the Environment withdrew the environmental assessment and sent transportation planners back to the drawing board. The MTO is still refining its plans before it releases transportation development strategies for both corridors over the next year. Therefore, neither Regional staff nor council have taken a position on the new corridors that have been proposed. For more information, visit www.gta- BRENDA CURLISS Sales Representative 326 Lakeshore Rd. E., Oakville Happy Canada Day! (905)845-4267 Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Broker E-mail: brendacurliss@cogeco.ca www.royallepage.ca/BrendaCurliss SPRIGGS INSURANCE BROKERS LIMITED Mississauga (416)798-7527 Burlington (905)681-4035 Oakville (905)844-9232 Fax (905)845-1634 159 Church Street Oakville, Ontario L6J 1N1 e-mail: info@spriggs.ca