Case made for new 403 interchange
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Local political leaders are supporting a Brant County proposal for a new Highway 403 interchange at Bishopsgate Road.
Ava Hill, chief of the Six Nations elected council, Brantford-Brant MPP Will Bouma and Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Toby Barrett all have written letters in support of the proposal to Ontario Transportation Minister Jeff Yurek.
“As a neighbouring community to the County of Brant, we are all interconnected in the challenges as well as the solutions that we can come up with – and this interchange is certainly one of them,” Hill said in her letter sent on behalf of the elected council.
“Adding to the government’s mandate “Ontario is Open for Business,’ this new interchange would better enable residents and businesses not only of the County of Brant but also The Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, better and safer access to Highway 403.”
Brant officials have been working for several years to get approval for the interchange project, which is included in its transportation master plan. The estimated cost of the project is about $14 million.
The county says the new interchange is needed to handle an increase in traffic from aggregate operations, as well as residential development in the Burford area. It also would help alleviate traffic pressure from Rest Acres Road.
“This new interchange will also reduce the space between interchanges along Highway 403 since the closest interchange west of Rest Acres Road is over 11 kilometres away – which is not ideal,” Bouma said in his letter of support.
Bouma said the new interchange also would make it easier for first responders to access the 403.
He noted that the county has obtained full environmental assessment approvals from the province.
Barrett, meanwhile, said he has constituents who travel to and from Highway 403 daily using Highway 24.
“However, there are congestion issues on Rest Acres Road at that interchange,” Barrett said. “Diverting traffic to Bishopsgate Road would alleviate this congestion.”
The letters of support were accepted as information by county councillors at last this week’s county council meeting.
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