Region looking at 2010 for reconnecting Bathurst
By Bill Rea

There are still plenty of concerns, and questions as to whether it's really needed, but York Region seems ready to press ahead with the reopening of the closed road allowance on Bathurst Street.

That's what more than 75 people were told Thursday night at a public consultation on the class environmental assessment (EA) being conducted on the Bathurst road allowance between Green Lane and Yonge Street.

There were numerous concerns raised at the meeting, which frequently got little heated, but never got out of control.

There's a gap in the road allowance of a little more than a kilometre that has been closed since the mid 1990s. Prior to that, it had just been open in the summer.

However, reopening it was one of the projects identified in the Region's Transportation Master Plan, which was prepared in 2002, according to Cynthia Martin, project manager with the Region.

She explained the stretch is still seen as a key northsouth corridor, although it had to be closed because of its sharp curves, steep grades and deteriorating bridges.

An EA was started in the '90s, but it was never completed, and owing to other initiatives since then, such as the legislation protecting the Oak Ridges Moraine, provincial Greenbelt and the Places to Grow document, it was decided that the EA needed to be re-done.

Martin observed a great deal of growth is expected for municipalities like Newmarket, East Gwillimbury and Bradford - West Gwillimbury, and that will generate a lot of traffic heading to and from places to the south.

The Region and Dillon Consulting have been working on the project, and Paul MacLeod, a professional engineer with Dillon, confirmed the province's Places to Grow plan is calling for considerable growth in the region, with serious traffic congestion in areas near the Bathurst corridor. As well, he said King Township will be seeing roughly a 48 per cent increase in its population by 2031.

MacLeod also said this project has been identified in the Region's Transportation Master Plan.

He said alternatives to reopening Bathurst have been considered, including improving the 2nd Concession Road, which runs north and south, east of Yonge Street in East Gwillimbury. The Region and Dillon have concluded that even with increasing that road to four lanes, it still will be necessary to improve Bathurst. They added it will provide an alternative to Yonge Street in the study area, and will also bring Bathurst up to a safer standard, as well as improve the situation at several Yonge Street intersections. They also concluded that infiltration into Ansnorveldt and along Graham Sideroad would be minimized.

MacLeod also said they are looking at having Bathurst improved to just two lanes.

He added the collection of data on this is on-going.

Michael Enright, a biologist with Dillon, said they have been studying data concerning the local natural environment. He said there have been a lot of natural features found in the area. He added mitigation measures will focus on creating culverts that will provide flows for wildlife to get across the road as much as possible.

The current plan is to have the road shifted to the west where it's currently closed. MacLeod said they have options along various stretches of either widening the road at both sides, or at one.

The road has been divided into four sections. The first runs from Green Lane to south of the old bridge, and since there are no major impacts anticipated on either side, the plan is to widen it by adding five metres on either side. The second section, known as the old bridge, is the area that has been closed for years, and it is characterized by large and steep slopes with considerable vegetation. the plan is to shift the alignment to the west to avoid these features. The third section is the area north of the old bridge. MacLeod said they are proposing widening this section on the west to avoid homes on the east side. The fourth section takes in the intersection with Yonge.

Several people in the room were interested in the approval process for the project. Martin said it has been identified in the Region's Master Plan, which is currently being reviewed and updated. But she said it has been previously approved by council, and been subject to public input. She added she wasn't sure if council will have to approve the project again, although she did say if the Ministry of the Environment accepted the EA recommendations with conditions, the Region will be obligated to see they are complied with.

One woman commented on the growth, commenting it should lead to the protection of lands. Opening this road will lead to a slippery slope of more unwanted growth, she declared.

Martin told Councillor Jeff Laidlaw the Region's proposed 2008 budget will only be covering up-front work on the project. The actual construction costs likely won't be budgeted until 2010, and she said that will amount to about $10 million. She added that figure will have to be adjusted as more details of the job are worked out. As well, he said that just covers construction cost.

Laidlaw also wondered if load limits are going to be set for the road. MacLeod said they haven't yet projected what kind of traffic will use the road, or what the appropriate pavement structure will be.

In terms of the impacts on area sideroads, Macleod said they are hopeful this will reduce the amount of traffic using Graham to get to Dufferin Street and then running south. He added they will be looking at all the Bathurst intersections in detail, to determine where things like left-turn lanes are appropriate, but that will be taking place in the next phase of the project.

One woman charged it would be naive to think transport trucks won't use an opened-up Bathurst. She said it will be easy to access from Bradford, which is a centre for the vegetable trade. She predicted these trucks will go down Bathurst to Mulock Drive, then head east to connect with Highway 404. She added Highway 9 is already "bumper to bumper with transport trucks."

MacLeod assured her the truck situation is something that will be addressed in the project.

"It needs to be more than something you address," she shot back, stating she was almost killed in the fall by a transport truck.

There were also comments from the floor about the proposed Bradford Bypass, but Martin said that's a provincial initiative. One man wondered if anyone has been talking to the province, to see about getting all these projects pulled together.

One local resident charged the people designing this road project don't live in the area. "If you lived here, you wouldn't design them this way," he said.

Councillor Cleve Mortelliti wondered if the work on Bathurst would still be needed if the Bradford bypass were removed from the equation. "It sounds like a provincial download," he remarked.

Another man wondered if the Town of Bradford - West Gwillimbury is putting up any money for this work, but Martin told him it's the Region that's paying.

There were several people wondering about the need for the project. There were comments that without a Bradford Bypass, aimed at connecting Highways 400 and 404, traffic would have no place to go when it gets to the north end of Bathurst.

Councillor Jane Underhill also called for looking at a broader picture.

"York Region has not established the need," she declared. "They have created the need."

Martin countered that the need had been established in the Master Plan, along with a number of provincial documents, like Places to Grow. The Region has been reacting to what the province has imposed.