Ontario's commitment to building Bradford Bypass met with mixed reviews
A commitment by the Ford government in its fall economic update to build the controversial Bradford Bypass is being met with both excitement and frustration.
The four-lane, 16-kilometre highway between Line 8 and Line 9 is intended to provide a shortcut route between Highway 400 and Highway 404.
Queen's Park insists the link will break up congestion in a growing region.
"This is great news for the community," says Bradford West-Gwillimbury Mayor Rob Keffer.
"For our business community, for our manufacturers, as well as for our workers that are commuting back and forth to work, they'll be able to spend more time at home with their children," he adds.
Keffer explains that there are 23 traffic lights between the 400 and 404 along a route that takes about 30 minutes to drive.
The projected drive time on the bypass is roughly 10 minutes.
Despite many global traffic studies that suggest adding highway capacity spawns congestion rather than alleviating it, Keffer is confident the bypass would reduce drive times and greenhouse gas emissions, pointing to less time spent idling.
The dedication to building more highways is baffling to environmental protection groups.
Margaret Prophet, executive director of the Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition, finds the Bradford Bypass promise coming days after the COP24 climate conference telling.
"What we have is a government who's focused on building a government for 1950, when global leaders are trying to build the economy for the future, which is moving away from what got us into trouble in the first place," Prophet says.
She raises concerns about increased greenhouse gas emissions and groundwater contamination.
"When we have Lake Simcoe that the conservation authority is saying within 50 years will become toxic because of its salt overload. The Bradford Bypass will put salt right into the headwaters," explains Prophet.
"This is a time when Lake Simcoe actually needs more help. It doesn't need additional threats and additional pollution loading."
Keffer says he's been assured by the Ministry of Transportation that people's concerns will be heard through the planning process to make the bypass "the most environmentally-friendly highway in North America."
The government earmarked $1.6 billion for the Bradford Bypass and Highway 413 in Peel Region but didn't say how much was allocated for each project.
Keffer says a call for tenders on a planned bypass interchange at County Road 4 could be issued by March to piggyback on Simcoe County's existing plan to widen the road north of Bradford.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW What Canada is doing about the toxic forever chemicals in drinking water
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
Arrest made, manslaughter charge pending in 2022 death of Calgary toddler
Calgary police have arrested a man and a charge is pending in connection with the death of a toddler in 2022.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson Airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Here's why experts don't think cloud seeding played a role in Dubai's downpour
Scientists say it's highly unlikely cloud seeding is responsible for the heavy rains that have caused flooding in the United Arab Emirates this month, and that climate change is the more likely culprit.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.