Highway 6 widening scheme
June 2, 2024 update
Click on the images to read the Spectator articles.
The Issue:
In the fall of 2023, the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) revived an ancient Environmental Assessment (EA) Report from 1987 to complete the Preliminary Design to widen Highway 6 South from Highway 403 to Upper James Street to four lanes. The Garner Marsh and its headwater tributary are within the proposed construction zone and will be greatly impacted. The EA was approved in 1992, almost 40 years ago, a time when wetland loss was business-as-usual and phrases such as “climate crisis”, “greenhouse gas emissions”, “biodiversity”, “heat dome”, and “extreme weather event”, had never been dreamed of.
This plan disregards the considerable environmental degradation that will be caused by ‘twinning’ 9 km of Hwy. 6 from the 403 ramp to the Airport, adding a 26 meter median to allow for future expansion to 6 lanes. This effectively means Highway 6 will change from it’s current 2 lane width to a six lane width, with plans to ultimately expand all the way to Caledonia.
Despite Hamilton’s determined stance to save farmland and wetlands by “holding the urban boundary firm”, this monster highway will be built
through wetlands, productive farmland and it will pave 62 acres of Hamilton Greenbelt.
Take Action:
Comments to the Province can be submitted online until June 12, 2024, by clicking here.
Do a deep dive into the reports on the MTO project website by clicking here
Our top concerns:
-Widening to allow for a future potential of six lanes is far too wide and unnecessary at this time. Keep it to four lane widening.
-The Garner Marsh and it’s Ancaster Creek headwater tributary are within the construction zone and will be hugely impacted
-Part of the Regionally Significant Welland River Headwater Tributaries Wetland destroyed
-4 hectares of unevaluated Hamilton wetlands destroyed
-66 hectares of Hamilton Greenbelt paved
-No meaningful commitment to including safe passages for wildlife despite recognition that turtles in search of nest sites and other wildlife are regularly killed trying to cross
-disregard for the climate emergency and biodiversity loss with a backwards looking plan to expand highways
The Nitty Gritty:
Consider the construction chaos, the endless dirt and noise, the destruction of farmland, natural habitat for countless species of wildlife and their certain death if Hwy. 6 is widened as planned.
The new major interchanges in this little stretch will occur at Book Road, the Airport Connection Road and Upper James. Multiple options were considered for each interchange and then assessed in 4 categories:
1. Transportation, Engineering, and Cost
2. Natural Environment
3. Socio-Economic Environment
4. Cultural Environment
In every instance, the preferred alternative was selected because it is the interchange type that provides the most capacity and free flow serviceability for road users and it is consistent with the recommendations from the approved 1987 Environmental Assessment Report.
For the Book Road Interchange, the preferred alternative (of three choices) is one of the more complicated and expensive options with the highest potential stream crossings and impacts to existing ponds and natural features, including rare vegetation.
For the Airport Road Connection Interchange, the preferred alternative will have a significant impact to wildlife habitat, candidate Species at Risk habitat and wetlands.
For the Upper James Street Interchange, there were 6 possible alternatives. Surprisingly, the one chosen is the least complicated from a constructability and cost perspective and has the least impacts on private property, greenbelt lands as well as minimum impacts to potential cultural heritage resources and agricultural lands.
All alternatives contain undisturbed lands that have archaeological potential. The MTO plan makes no attempt to lessen their footprint, to do less damage, to save farmlands and woodlands and wetlands and therefore wildlife. In fact the opposite is true. Seemingly every aspect of Hwy. 6 will be modified: 17 culverts will be replaced, 11 culverts will be extended, 10 new ones will be constructed, side ditches will become flat-bottom swales, where possible, for water quality treatment of runoff, 3 stormwater ponds will be created and 5 areas will have the curve flattened, as well as major work at the 403 ramp and terminal. No area of this 9 kilometer stretch will be untouched.
The plan is to complete the work in 4 stages, resulting in years of construction and chaos, simply to allow truckers to gain a few minutes because they don’t have to stop at traffic lights as they traverse 9 measly km. and they can zoom along at 110 km/hr.
Also, 29 hectares of property beyond the MTO right-of-way will be affected: 6 residential, 3 commercial, and 23 agricultural properties and approximately 4 parcels of municipal and principal property. Again, no thought to rein in the destruction. They will simply expropriate.
There is a 16-page table, Summary of Environmental Concerns, Mitigation Measures, and Commitments to Future Work which lists the many issues leading to potential loss of habitat and then mortality or injury to wildlife species, their nests, and their eggs. Light pollution will disturb nesting birds and bats. Nothing stops this Provincial Government from prioritizing highways.
The reports state over and over that nature will be protected “where possible” or “if feasible” which we know are meaningless phrases for potential mitigation.
Last Notes: No budget figure has been reported. The taxpayers of Ontario will pay for this monster highway that will decrease our ability to adapt and mitigate the climate crisis. No start date has been reported, although a chart indicates that in-water work is planned for July – February 28/29 when experts are allowed to “move the fish”.
It will be No Man’s Land for traffic for years and a certain death knell to all natural features, habitat, and at-risk species. This Hwy. 6 Widening project benefits no one. Please express your thoughts before June 12, 2024.