The intersection of Highway 7 and Jones Baseline will be the site of Guelph-Eramosa’s first roundabout within the next year.
Township representatives as well as Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott have been working for years to make safety improvements at the intersection.
“I would almost say it’s probably the worst intersection in the township,” White said in a phone interview with the Advertiser.
“Four or five years ago, there was a fatality and at that time it really brought attention to this intersection,” White added. “The improvement we got at that time was a flashing light overtop and an actual, I think they call it a sentinel, it’s like a street light. Up to that point there was no lights there at night.”
White said it was pressure from the township and Arnott that helped to secure those improvements.
The next step is the provincially-funded roundabout. The project also includes culvert replacement, construction of storm sewers, and lighting.
“There was a debate about traffic lights and roundabouts and they had public meetings and there was a whole range of discussions on it,” White said.
Ultimately one of the reasons a traffic light was turned down was fear that cars wouldn’t slow down enough when going south on Jones Baseline through a green light and they could bottom out because of the topography of the road, White explained.
“So they decided on a roundabout and at the end of the day you know (we’re) very happy to have something done over there because it really was a really nasty intersection,” he said.
White said Guelph-Eramosa officials ensured the ministry considered local farmers when designing the roundabout.
“Some of the concerns with roundabouts of course is sometimes they’ve been undersized … so one of the things we emphasized was that we have a lot of really big farm equipment,” he said.
“At the end of the day this has to be designed so that large agricultural equipment can get through.”
On May 19 Arnott released a press release saying the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) has called for tenders to bid on the new roundabout. The original MTO letter to Arnott was sent on April 28.
“I’m glad that the government is investing in improving our transportation infrastructure in Wellington-Halton Hills,” Arnott said in the press release. “Highway 7 is a critical transportation link through our riding.”
Although it looks like Highway 7 will remain open for most of the construction, White is concerned about what the construction could mean for the businesses in the surrounding area.
“We’ve emphasized the need to keep it open as much as possible … so if they can have one lane going that works well,” White said.
“But I think because of the design of the roundabout there will be times when there’s going to be impacts.”
One of his concerns surrounds the Mustang Drive-in theatre because it’s south of Highway 7 on Jones Baseline – and when the construction starts visitors will have to take a detour to get to the theatre.
When asked how the roundabout would benefit the township, White’s reply was “Safety, I mean straight up.”
He also said it could help with traffic congestion.
“Hopefully when people become more familiar with it, because I know there are concerns about it and there are some people who aren’t familiar with them and there’s going to be a period of education that’s required but I think it might help traffic move as well a little better because you’re in and you’re out,” he said.
Arnott agreed.
“While I recognize that roundabouts have been shown in studies to reduce collisions at intersections, I think the ministry needs to do more to ensure that our motorists understand how to use them safely,” he said.
“There is more information on www.ontario.ca/roundabout and if people have questions, I will be bringing them to the minister’s attention.”
The tender process closes at the end of this month. No exact dates have been set, but construction is expected to begin early this summer, with a target completion date of late spring 2017.
