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Home My WebLink AboutPD-260-90 TOWN OF NEWCASTLE € Y-407 .GPA REPORT File # Res. # By-Law # MEUING: General Purpose and Administration Committee DATE: September 4, 1990 Pfj%T #: PD-260-90 FILE #: SJB,ECT: HIGHWAY 407 - ROUTE ALIGNMENT STUDY FILE: PLN 23.5.5 AND PLN 23.5.6 RECOMMENDATIONS: It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee recommend to Council the following: 1. THAT Report PD-260-90 be received for information; 1. BACKGROUND 1. 1 On July 9, 1990, the Town received correspondence from C.R. Smith, M.C. I .P. , Senior Transportation Planner, Parker Consultants, regarding the release of the Highway 407 "Public Involvement Technical Paper No. 1" . Council resolved that this correspondence be referred to Staff for their review and the preparation of an updated information report. 2. HIGHWAY 407 In order to plan for Highway 407 through the Region of Durham, the Ministry of Transportation has embarked on a two stage process . The first stage involved conducting a study to quantify the need for the extension of Highway �) J REPORT NO. : PD-260-90 PAGE 2 407 from Highway 48 to Highway 35/115 . The second stage involves the conducting of a route alignment and environmental assessment study. 2 . 1 First Stage - Need Study 2 . 1. 1 On June 29, 1989, the Town of Newcastle received a copy of a study undertaken by the Ministry of Transportation, entitled Highway 407 Overview Study (Highway 48 to Highway 35/115) . The overall goal of this study was to determine the rationale and need for Highway 407 (between Highway 48 and Highways 35/115) and additional north- south connections (between Highways 401 and 407) , identify the timing of the need, and develop an implementation strategy. 2 . 1.2 The 'Overview Study' determined the need for: an ultimate 10 lane freeway from Highway 48 to the vicinity of Durham Road 34 an ultimate 8 lane freeway from the vicinity of Durham Road 34 to Highway 35/115 an interregional transit right-of-way from Highway 48 to the vicinity of Durham Road 34 a north-south freeway connection east of Courtice 2 . 1. 3 On October 9, 1989, Council endorsed Report PD-246-89 as the Town's comments with respect to the Highway 407 Overview Study (Highway 48 to Highway 35/115) . The Town agreed with Ministry's assessment of the need for the freeway network and urged that the ensuring route selection process and environmental studies progress . _� �� 0 REPORT NO. : PD-260-90 PAGE 3 2 .2 Second Stage - Route Alignment and Environmental Assessment Study 2 .2 . 1 Attachment #1 illustrates the timing and phases of the Highway 407 Route Alignment Study. The Data Collection Phase and Alternative Route Phase have been completed. The alternative routes are attached hereto. 2 .2 .2 The current stage requires the generation and collection of additional data in order to refine the predetermined alternative routes . During this phase, the Ministry of Transportation conducted 'Public Information Centres ' . The information centres were intended to allow public input in the 'Development of Alternatives ' Phase. 2 .2 . 3 On May 17, 1990, a 'Public Information Centre' was held at the Tyrone Community Centre. Notification of the information centres was provided through both the mail and newspaper notices . A summary of comments for this information centre are attached hereto as Attachment 3. 2 .2 .4 The Ministry of Transportation has nearly completed the 'Development of Alternatives ' phase, and will be commencing the 'Evaluation of Alternatives and Selection of a Preferred Alternative' phase shortly. A second 'Public Information Centre' will most likely be held in October 1990, with respect to this next stage. 3. OSHAWA/NEWCASTLE FREEWAY LINK The Ministry of Transportation has also initiated a Route Planning/Environmental Assessment Study for the proposed "Oshawa/Newcastle Freeway Link" east of Courtice between existing Highway 401 and the proposed Highway 407 . The Study REPORT NO. : PD-260-90 PAGE 4 Area boundaries are shown on Attachment #4 . Planning Staff sit as members of a Municipal Technical Team. 4. CONCLUSIONS Staff will continue to keep Committee and Council informed of both the 'Highway 407-Route Alignment Study' and the 'Oshawa/Newcastle Freeway Link Study' , as each of these studies progress . Respectfully submitted, Recommended for presentation to the Committee ! f`l✓ 1�4.-f l fit..,----_.,: J ,sa JA, Franklin Wu, M.C. I.P. Lawrenc Kotseff Director of Planning Chief Adm nistrative and Development Officer JB*DC*FW*df Attach 21 August 1990 Interested parties to be notified of Council and Committee's decision: D.W. Mackie Transportation Planning Office 3rd Floor, Atrium Tower 1201 Wilson Avenue, Downsview, Ontario. M3M 1J8 Parker Consultants 1400 Rymal Road East Hamilton, Ontario. LOR 1P0 Pat Reynolds MTO Central Region 3rd Floor, Atrium Tower 1201 Wilson Avenue, Downsview, Ontario. M3M 1J8 �� ATTAC MENT #1 HIGHWAY 407 ROUTE ALIGNMENT STUDY SCHEDULE SCHEDULE YEAR 1989 YEAR 1990 YEAR 1991 STAG E - --- MJ J ASONDJ F MAMJ J,ASONDJ F M:AMJ J AS;O;ND Data Collection i lnvcntory/Analysis , Existing Conditions Generate/Analyse Alternative Routes Additional Data Refine Routes Eval.Alternatives Select Preferred Preliminary Design EA Preparation Presubmission Review Submit Report to Ministry of Environment Public Information Centres 563 PROPOSED HIGHWAY 407 PRELIMINARY ROUTE ALTERNATIVES — MAY 1990 OSHAWA/NEWCASTLE SECTION WP 326-88-01 TWP.OFMANVERS LEGEND I i I p��\\\\\`\\� �� N J o I I Illlll(�II 11111111111111111111111111111111118111811 Illlll�llllli X I 11 Illlllllllll IIIIIIIiII Illllllll, ll(Mill il�llll!l11A(I1U1111U11�lllll HIIIIIIIIIIIIIillllllllll� �/ ,,i � <<< F°., INFORMATION CENTRE LOCATIONS CITY ALTERNATIVE -- oc Q�\\\ Q CD ROUTES r -I °�\\\\\ J 00 m 00 \\\ POSSIBLE Z INTERCHANGES i N O Illiillllllll STUDY AREA ° 1 \\��\\ a " K w 3 souxw T - ' a A s illlllllllllTl(IIIIIIIIIIIIUII 111 [fll HHllllal ��II 111111 I�il HIHIIIIIIIII 111111 illllllllllii 1111111 IIIIIIIIIIIII�a ' a Ion s- CA- SCALE IN KILOMETRES OSHAWA ,TOWN OF NE CASTLE N p�u� rvl 1 I .0°ONO I._ a055-I—A. _ �_. ,.J_� 3$� NE�S.rvofli'EnN� OIG wrELINE �LiNE IC N ATTACHMENT #3 "Summary of Comments at the Newcastle Public Information Centre" Town of Newcastle Approximately 15 percent of Newcastle households represented p.,ovided comments. Of the 70 comment sheets received at the Newcastle P. I .C. , the overwhelming majority strongly endorsed the construction of Highway 407. Many commented that the highway should be constructed as soon as possible with the provision that natural environmental and agricultural conditions be protected. Nonetheless, there were a few respondents who opposed the proposed Highway 407 altogether. Their opposition centred on escalating taxes . reductions in environmental quality (noise, pollution) , accelerated urban expansion, and the need for alternate transportation technologies to be developed. Of the 50 comment sheets received from Newcastle residents, 27 indicated a route preference. The north route (N) was supported by 15 residents, while the N-C route was supported by 4 residents. The south (S) route was identified by 8 residents. '� 6 5 The N route supporters provided a number of reasons for their preference. These include: 1 . avoidance of high capability agricultural land and agricultural operations; 2. area affected is generally poor quality agricultural land; 3. urban development will rapidly congest a route closer to Highway 401 ; 4. less residential development affected; S. the north alignment is the shortest and most direct. The N-C route supporters did not supply specific reasons for their preference although there was acknowledgement that this location has been identified by the Region of Durham as preferable. The S route supporters provided several reasons for their preference. These include: 1 . proximity to Highway 401 and therefore more frequently used as an alternative; 2. avoids high quality agricultural land and operations; 3. will confine urban development to the south, thereby preserving rural conditions in the north; 4. hazards resulting from inclement weather conditions are less frequent in the south. The S-C route was not identified as a preference. However, judging by the comments received for the S route, it may be inferred that these comments and observations could apply as well to the S-C route with minor exceptions . `) 66 Opposition to a specific route typically centred on individual property or "NIMSY" concerns. Thus, those who live in the northern section identified site specific reasons why the route should be located in the south. Conversely, the southern residents adduced reasons to locate in the north. Additionally, 24 percent of all respondents suggested that a new route outside the study area northern boundary should be developed and reviewed. These respondents generally agreed that a new route north of Mosport Park following Regional Road 20 or areas to the north would be advantageous for the following reasons: 1. the highway could be located on the aggregate extraction sites which would be completed prior to the need for road construction; 2. this area has low agricultural significance; 3. this area avoids crossing the sensitive headwaters of Wilmot Creek; 4. this area is sparsely settled. A summary of other comments received from the Newcastle respondents included: preserve and protect both high quality agricultural and natural environmental areas concern with the potential impact of Highway 407 to divide the rural community from the remainder of the Town of Newcastle individual property concerns including impact of noise and air pollution, proxiity of highway on rural quality of life, destruction of neural environmental features, depreciation of property value;. and compensation options recreational concerns inc] ding i7ipact or alternative N-C on the Enniskillen Conservation Area and the need for an underpass under Highway 407 to accom7odat//e snowmobilers. � c) / TABLE 1 BREAKDOWN OF PUBLIC INFORMATION CENTRE ATTENDANCE No. of Oshawa Newcastle Whitby Pickering Markham Metro Other No Location Registrants Address Total Oshawa .190 108 24 31 4 4 11 5 187 Newcastle 389 9 356 5 1 16 2 389 Totals 579 117 380 36 4 0 5 27 1 516 Notes: 1. Number of registrants includes those who signed Attendance Sheets and likely represents 90-95 percent of all attendees. 2. Geographical distribution is generally indicative of the number of households or businesses represented from each municipality, therefore, totals do not correspond to total registrants. 3. Distribution of 'Other' registrants excludes those who did not indicate on address. 4. Figures include attendance at more than one venue. cc TABLE 2 BREAKDOWN OF COMMENT SHEET ORIGIN Municipality of Origin Location Total Oshawa Newcastle Markham Pickering Whitby Metro Other No Address Oshawa 25 13 7 1 4 Newcastle 70 8 50 2 2 7 1 Totals 95 21 57 0 0 2 3 11 1 Percentages (100) (22) (60) (2) (4) (11) (1) i I !I it I s 4