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September
1997 Newsletter
A
Much Cheaper Alternative
A
1994 provincial government study reveals that Highway 20
can be widened by two lanes for one-sixth of the cost of
building the north-south expressway through Red Hill Valley.
This option was examined as part of the Transfocus 2021
study (A Strategic Transportation Plan for the Niagara-Lake
Erie Area). Working Paper #9 prepared by G.M. Sernas & Associates
Ltd, Consulting Engineers and Planners, calculates that
widening Highway 20 from Mud Street to the QEW would cost
$33.17 million.
Compare this to the $200 million it will cost to destroy
Red Hill Valley. A small portion of the savings could be
used to purchase every home on Centennial between King and
Queenston (either reselling them at a lower cost to willing
buyers or facilitating the Stoney Creek plans to convert
that area into medium-density apartments).
There would still be more than $150 million that could be
used to revitalize downtown, cleanup the harbour, or many
other worthwhile projects. Widening Highway 20 would also
likely lead to a reduction in traffic on neighbouring streets.
The 1994 price tag has been confirmed by a July 1997 City
of Hamilton staff report on widening a quarter-kilometre
section of Centennial by one lane. The price is under $350,000.
This means adding two lanes to the highway from Mud Street
to the QEW (6 kilometres) would cost less than $20 million.
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