Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty says an expansion of Highway 7 from Guelph to Kitchener to four lanes is still in the cards.
Thousands of drivers use the highway daily, and many end up in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
In Kitchener Thursday morning, McGuinty said the design should be done by the end of the summer, but there’s no confirmation of when work will begin.
The expansion of the highway has been a topic of conversation for about 20 years, as congestion has continued to grow.
As the premier toured the newly renovated St. John’s Catholic School, he confirmed that it is still part of the province’s infrastructure plans.
“It remains a priority for us. We have made some progress in terms of environmental assessment. I think the design work will be completed by the end of the summer and I’m eager to move ahead with it.”
But the Progressive Conservative MPP for Kitchener-Conestoga, Michael Harris, points out there was a Liberal promise to ‘move ahead’ with the highway in 2007.
“It should have been done by now, so for Premier McGuinty to say it’s a priority is wrong.”
Like Harris, many commuters are fed up with waiting. People filling up at the only station between Guelph and Kitchener say traffic is bad, there’s dangerous tailgating and a lot of accidents.
For now the premier is asking people to think about the “big picture,” pointing to increase GO Transit services and the $300 million investment in light rail.
Two years ago the expansion project had a $400 million price tag, a number which could increase significantly by the time shovels hit the ground.
