Like many others who attended last week’s public meeting on Highway 6 safety, Puslinch councillor Susan Fielding left the Carlisle community centre with no idea when the Morriston bypass will be completed.
“I think overall, the majority of people were satisfied with the route, but they want to know when it’s coming,” said Fielding, who has lobbied for the bypass for years.
Granted, not all of the 100 people in attendance were concerned about the bypass, as the meeting was held to gain public feedback on a much larger stretch of the highway – from Highway 5 to the 401.
But the busiest area of the meeting seemed to be the one dedicated to the bypass project, and one Ministry of Transportation employee confirmed the most popular inquiry was about a deadline for the realignment.
At one point, two residents – one from Puslinch and the other from the Flamborough area – debated the merits of the four-lane bypass around Morriston. The Puslinch resident claimed the project, which was first proposed in 1976, is long overdue and will help ease gridlock and improve safety in Morriston, particularly during rush hour.
“But how would you feel if [the bypass] was going through your property,” the other countered.
In the end, the residents agreed to disagree, though it appeared the Flamborough resident was in the minority.
MTO spokesman Will MacKenzie said most people at the meeting expressed support for the 12-kilometre bypass – particularly those from Puslinch Township, who made up “close to half” of the crowd over the course of the meeting.
One resident said he was told it will be at least 10 years before the bypass is finalized, but MacKenzie refused to commit to a timeline.
“It’s a multi-year project … It’s very large,” MacKenzie said. He estimated it will likely take two to three years to complete detailed designs and engineering work, meet additional environmental requirements and negotiate the required purchase of about 50 pieces of property.
“But because of the complexity of the project, it may take longer than that,” he said.
And that’s before construction even begins. MacKenzie said the MTO will move forward with the project as quickly as possible, but the ministry also has to protect the environment and ensure taxpayers are getting the best possible value.
Fielding said she again received confirmation the bypass has been placed on the MTO’s five year plan, but that can be misleading.
“It will be interesting to see what the ministry does with the information it received at the meeting,” she said.
But in the meantime, Fielding has also received word the MTO will likely follow through with basic safety upgrades, including improved signs – possibly as early as this year – along the two-lane portion of Highway 6.
Fielding, along with fellow councillor Don McKay, had asked about the possibility of another Highway 6 safety meeting in Puslinch, but MacKenzie said that likely won’t happen.
“The meeting is here because it’s central,” MacKenzie said, adding the bypass is not the only issue within the safety study, for which the MTO has retained IBI Group.
“There is actually no legislated requirement to consult with the public [on the safety study],” he added. “We’re doing it because we felt it should be done.”
MacKenzie said there have already been meetings in Puslinch regarding the Morriston bypass, and there will likely be more during the detailed design stage.
Constable Mark Cloes said the Wellington County OPP Detachment often receives complaints citing Highway 6 as “a killer” highway.
“But it’s not a killer,” he said, noting there are many other factors that result in collisions, including speed, driver error, distractions, weather and more. He added traffic on the highway has climbed steadily over the years, but accidents have decreased over that time.
According to information boards at the meeting, there were 951 total collisions on the Highway 6 from January 2000 to June 2007. In 2006, the collision rate per million vehicle kilometres was 0.6, when the provincial average for non-freeways is 0.8.
Of all the collisions between 2000 and 2007, 16 resulted in 22 fatalities, with three fatal collisions on the 6km stretch in Puslinch.
Along that stretch several areas are identified as experiencing a “high” rate of collisions, including near the Maddaugh Road, Concession 1, and Leslie Road intersections, as well as north of Morriston around the 401 on-ramps.
Cloes said the main problem with Highway 6 is simply the volume of traffic. He told the Advertiser he realizes there are local environmental concerns, but the Morriston bypass will help eliminate the bottle neck effect where the highway narrows from four to two lanes near Morriston.
The average daily traffic for the “rural” two-lane section of Highway 6 is over 25,000 – and about 12% of that is commercial traffic.
Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott has been pushing for the Highway 6 bypass for some time.
“Motorists who travel Highway 6 have long known that this project must be a high priority,” said Arnott. “The Township of Puslinch knows that, and no one knows that better than the people of Morriston.”
In an April 9 letter to Minister of Transportation Jim Bradley, Arnott said the realignment of Highway 6 will “improve safety and efficiency while alleviating the economic and environmental effects of slow moving traffic.”
He also pressured the minister for construction timelines.
Bypass details
The Morriston bypass project will include five parts:
– the main 5km, four lane, north-south controlled access highway linking Highway 6 at Maddaugh Road and the 401 west of Morriston;
– a new two-lane connection road to link the new highway to the 401 east and Wellington Road 46 (Brock Road/Gordon Street);
– widening a 3.5km section of the 401 west, from the interchange with the new highway to the existing interchange with the Hanlon Expressway;
– 12 new bridges; and
– improving a 1km north-south section of the Hanlon, from the 401 to a new interchange between Maltby Road and County Road 34.
Fielding said she was told the bypass would cost about $300-million, but MacKenzie did not want to provide an estimate.
“At this point, we wouldn’t even guess at a price,” he said.
