Plans for a possible new multi-million-dollar Elmira bypass road that could divert trucks and other traffic away from the downtown area are set to be discussed at a public consultation today.
Residents are being asked to provide feedback over three proposed routes as well as options to widen Arthur Street south of the town from two lanes to four as the Region of Waterloo launches an environmental assessment process.
The planned November 7 meeting, which is being held in the community room at the Woolwich Memorial Centre between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., is set to include a presentation of the project and an opportunity to share questions, comments and feedback.
The three proposed bypass routes include Alternative 1, which would use existing roads on the west side of Elmira, along Listowel Road, Floradale Road and Reid Woods Drive.
The two eastern options, which are more popular with Woolwich Mayor Sandy Shantz, would include a wholly new road with a route over a wide area that is yet to be determined, called Alternative 2.
Alternative 3 would use a mix of existing and new highway sections that would see a new route between Union and Church streets and then onto and connecting with Arthur Street north of Kenning Place.
Plans for the Arthur Street expansion, between Listowel Road and King Street, offer two main changes to the current two-lane system.
One is a four-lane road with a natural median that would require a costly widening of the existing bridge.
“There is a possibility that it has to be fully replaced,” added Oriana Aguas, the region’s project manager, who also admitted that any work carried to the crossing out would require a “significant investment.”
The other idea would reduce the median to a concrete barrier that would leave the bridge untouched.
These options would also involve adding multi-use paths that pedestrians, cyclists and horse-drawn buggies could use.
A third choice proposes keeping the road as it is and adding the paths.
The environmental assessment process, which among other things will examine the potential impact of a new Canagagigue Creek bridge that might be needed for a bypass, is expected to continue until the end of next year.
Once deemed complete, which could be years later, the region would then have a decade to begin work, which could only take place with council approval and if the finances were in place.
Aguas, who could provide no construction timeframe, also said she was unable to reveal how much any of these projects would cost.
However, the average new road costs $400,000 per kilometre to build in rural areas and up to $1.2 million in urban municipalities, according to Statistics Canada.
That means a possible five-kilometre new bypass route proposed in Alternative 2 would cost at least $2 million if it was carried out today - and that figure does not include the cost of the private land purchases, legal or other fees.
The aim of both projects is to deal with expected growth, with both the number of residents and workers in the town predicted to more than double over the next three decades.
In a report that is available online, where users can also submit feedback on the proposals until November 22, the region provided data on current and projected future traffic use in the areas under consideration.
However, the figures appear to pour cold water on the need for a bypass, with their accuracy being disputed by the Woolwich mayor.
On Arthur Street, south of Listowel Road, approximately 25,000 people per day use it, according to a 2022 survey by the region.
That number is expected to rise to 39,000 by 2054, the study estimated.
Downtown, the main corridor is used by 1,050 trucks each day, with most travelling to or from destinations within Elmira’s industrial area, it notes.
“If a bypass road existed, only approximately 300 (+/-29 per cent) of the trucks on Arthur Street would use it each day,” the report stated.
“The projected volume of traffic (cars and trucks) that would use a bypass is very low: estimated at 2,300 in 2022 and up to 3,500 in 2054.
“This relates to approximately 10 per cent of the total vehicle volume on Arthur Street.”
However, Shantz said she believes the numbers are actually higher.
“I question the volume of traffic reported and especially the numbers cited as having an endpoint downtown,” she told The Observer.
“I believe the report actually says an endpoint in the industrial area, which begs the question of where the count was taken.
“If we are asking people for their opinion, it’s important that they understand the facts presented correctly. I do hope people will attend the in-person session on November 7.”
Shantz noted that the public desire to see a bypass had been a constant topic of discussion during the decade she has been mayor.
She said she would prefer a route to be built on the east side of Elmira.
“I lean toward a bypass to the east where our industrial lands are and will eventually be expanding,” Shantz explained, adding: “That is without knowing the cost of any proposal, so that is also a consideration.”
However, Trees for Woolwich chair Inga Rinne, whose organization runs the Elmira Nature Reserve on the east side of town, said a western route makes more sense.
“The nature reserve is already nestled up against the industrial lands, which has its pros and cons, but I would prefer that there wasn’t a major road running up beside it.
“Also, just from a common-sense point of view, the western route looks like it would be, from an engineering point of view, much easier to do because you’ve got existing roads.
“So that that would be my first choice, although I’m sure the reason why they’ve given us three options is that there are downsides with each one of them.”
Plans to widen a stretch of Arthur Street from two to four lanes could also impact some of the trees Rinne’s group planted along the highway south of the St. Jacobs roundabout as part of a project to beautify Woolwich’s roadsides with a total of 22,000 new seedlings, she noted.
However, Rinne said she wasn’t expecting construction to begin anytime soon.
“The spectre of Highway 7 has been discussed since I moved to this region in 1979 and we do not yet have it, so am I not waiting with bated breath for this bypass,” said Rinne.
“While I think a bypass would be a very good thing, I am not holding out hope that it’s going to be anytime soon.”
Yet Shantz was more optimistic.
“I remain hopeful, but also know there is still a long road ahead with the project,” adding: “This is the time to make sure your voice is heard.”
More details about the plans as well as an online survey can be found at www.engagewr.ca/arthur-street-and-bypass-ea.
