FERGUS – With so much development planned in Fergus along Highway 6, Centre Wellington staff hope to engage with the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) to discuss road improvements in conjunction with future development plans.
Colin Baker, managing director of infrastructure, told council at its Dec. 18 meeting that according to growth forecasts, Centre Wellington will need 400 more hectares of urban serviced land to accommodate that growth.
Highway 6 runs through Fergus and is the responsibility of the township between McQueen Boulevard to the south and Sideroad 19 to the north.
Called Connecting Links, “these are critical roadways that serve provincial and municipal interests, as they carry long-distance provincial highway traffic moving through communities, as well as local traffic within the community,” Baker states in his report.
Beyond those north and south boundaries, control of the highway returns to the MTO. And the MTO recently issued a “notice of study commencement” regarding Highway 6 intersections at 2nd Line and Wellington Road 22, both south of the Fergus urban boundary.
Baker also noted the Fergus South Secondary Plan is currently outside the urban boundary.
“There are lands there with developer interest,” Baker said. “We want to get those lands within the urban boundary.”
Given all that, the township wants to begin work with the MTO, Wellington County, developers and other stakeholders to take a wholistic look at Highway 6 and the Connecting Link.
“What’s become clear is we need a clear vision of our transportation needs and future mobility on Highway 6. It’s more efficient to look globally at the area,” Baker said. “We also need a better understanding of the Fergus bypass.”
Baker said Highway 6 will likely need to be widened and have new intersections added to accommodate growth. There will also be new sewers and watermains installed, as well as sidewalks and other active transportation routes.
“Staff feel strongly it’s time to chart a path forward,” said Baker.
Mayor Shawn Watters said he recently attended a conference where he rubbed elbows with Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria and mentioned to them some of the township’s challenges with the MTO.
Watters said he’s been promised a meeting, “so we’re definitely on their radar,” he said.
