A town hall session is being requested by Puslinch councillors as part of an upcoming Ministry of Transportation information meeting regarding improvements to Highways 6 and 401.
MTO representatives Chuck Organ and Patrick Puccini spoke to Puslinch councillors on Oct. 4 about the proposed Morriston bypass and work on Highway 6 north and south of Highway 401.
Organ said there is a lot of history to the project, dating back to the late 1970s – “Then, about 18 months ago, an announcement was made that the province was moving forward on the plan, which included a western bypass of Morriston.”
Puccini added, “We are planning public meetings as part of this process to present information on the refinements … and to present the final plans.
“We are taking a number of studies to verify existing conditions both from an environmental and transportation standpoint.”
He said if there is a need to make significant changes from the prior environmental assessment, an addendum would be made to the EA.
South of Highway 401
Approved changes south of Highway 401 within the Puslinch and Hamilton include:
– a new controlled access four-lane Highway 6 alignment west of existing Highway 6, from Highway 401 to Maddaugh Road (approximately 6km of new highway);
– improvements to the Highway 6/Maddaugh Road intersection;
– structures to carry Calfass Road and Concession 1 over the new alignment of Highway 6, and to carry the new alignment of Highway 6 over CP rail and Fielding Lane;
– a new two-lane connection road north of the Morriston community (approximately 1km); and,
– reconfiguration and expansion of the Wellington Road 46 (Brock Road) commuter parking lot.
Along Highway 401
Work along Highway 401 within Puslinch includes:
– reconfiguration of the Highway 401 interchange at Highway 6/Wellington Road 46 (Brock Road);
– reconfiguration of the Highway 401 interchange at Highway 6 (Hanlon Expressway);
– widening of approximately 3km of Highway 401 to 10 lanes, including provision for future high occupancy vehicle lanes between the two Highway 6 interchanges; and
– replacement of the Concession 7 bridge over Highway 401 .
North of the 401
Approved improvements north of Highway 401 (within Puslinch and Guelph include:
– replacement of the Wellington Road 34/Hanlon Expressway intersection with a bridge and no access;
– closure of the Hanlon Expressway/Maltby Road/Concession 4 intersection;
– new Hanlon Expressway interchange midway between Wellington Road 34 and Maltby Road/Concession 4; and
– reconstruction of the section of Concession 7 between the new interchange and Wellington Road 34.
In terms of scheduling, Puccini said most of the work so far has been site investigation and gathering traffic information.
The intent is to present those findings before the end of 2017, with work on a final design in 2018, Puccini said.
Council questions
Councillor John Sepulis said while he supports the project “there are residents who feel the EA is flawed.”
Puccini believed the results of the EA remain very relevant and information now being gathered will validate previous findings.
Sepulis commented that Puslinch has found considerable success in holding meetings that include presentations followed by a question and answer session with the audience.
He asked if the MTO would consider a similar approach.
Puccini said the study plan included two public information centres which included a walk-in/open house format.
“We’ve found it more effective than the town hall type of meetings,” Puccini said. He added the open house approach gives everyone the opportunity to have conversations with the study team without the pressure of standing up in a public forum.
Sepulis agreed there are those who are shy, “But sometimes it is best to have a question stated so everyone can hear.”
Councillor Ken Roth said there are newer residents to the area who were not aware this was happening.
“I think we deserve to be able to let them ask the right questions … You are the only ones who can fix that,” Roth added.
Councillor Matthew Bulmer recognized people do get frustrated, but he also said people at town hall meetings are not sure which questions they need answers to.
“Having someone else prime the pump to get them thinking is often quite helpful,” said Bulmer, who encouraged the idea of including a town-hall session.
“I think you will find our residents are quite respectful, especially when they get respectful answers to their heartfelt questions.”
Councillor Susan Fielding appreciated keeping the lines of communication open.
Fielding said at one point there was discussion of a roundabout at the intersection of Highway 6 and Maddaugh Road
Puccini said a number of options are being considered, including a roundabout, but a final recommendation still has to be determined.
