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	Province now plans to end Hwy. 407 in Oshawa (June 14, 2010)	< Back to News
	Last week, the provincial government announced it had approved the environmental assessment for the extension of Hwy. 407. On Tuesday, it announced the extension would only go as far as Simcoe Street in Oshawa, and not all the way to Hwy. 35/115 in Clarington. That shorter extension has upset Regional officials, who weren't told the work wasn't the full length they expected. Regional Chairman Roger Anderson met with Energy and Infrastructure Minister Brad Duguid on Wednesday, hoping to convince him of the need to build the entire highway. "He understands our concern on where he's planning on stopping the 407 and the impact it will have on our roads," Mr. Anderson said of the meeting. "Move it as far as the (proposed) link in Bowmanville for it to be palatable," Mr. Anderson said he told the minister. The discussions he's had with Mr. Duguid and provincial officials "were very helpful. I made the minister aware of a situation." Provincial officials couldn't be reached for comment. Prior to his meeting with Mr. Duguid, Mr. Anderson told members of Regional Council's works committee of the provincial plan, calling it "good news and bad news." The good news was the approval of the EA, while the bad news is the highway only going to Simcoe. Hwy. 407 currently ends at Brock Road in Pickering and that's caused problems for both the Region and City, because of all the traffic coming off the highway. Whitby Councillor Gerry Emm said all the extra traffic on local roads would end up costing the municipality. "We can't afford this. I can't believe they would put us in the same position as Pickering," Coun. Emm added. Mr. Anderson agreed, saying "Simcoe Street will be a big problem for us. It will be a significant problem for Whitby and it will be a significant problem for Oshawa." The Region wants the highway built right to Hwy. 35/115, he noted. "Everyone said build it all the way. I didn't hear anyone say build it for a couple of miles," Mr. Anderson stated. Oshawa Councillor Brian Nicholson said, "This is a recipe for chaos on Simcoe Street." He likened building the highway only as far as Simcoe to building a bridge half-way across a river. "If you drive to Simcoe, where do you go from there? Columbus and Brooklin will bear the biggest brunt of it," Coun. Nicholson said. The highway traffic would be going "right into the heart of our community," he said. "It will be a dagger into the heart of our municipality. "It's the dumbest move I've seen out of this Province," Coun. Nicholson said.
	Source: www.newsdurhamregion.com	< Back to News