OTA voices support for new GTA West highway
The Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) is voicing its support for a planned GTA West highway project that would run through the northwestern area of the Greater Toronto Area, as well as Halton, Peel, and York regions.
The areas are known hubs for trucking and logistics activity. Peel Region itself is home to an estimated 2,000 trucking companies, and in 2012 accounted for about 36% of provincial truck trips, according to government data.
“We must build the GTA West, not just for our present economy but to the secure the future success of our province,” OTA writes in a recent letter on the position.
The highway would include up to four to six lanes from Hwy. 400 in the east to the Hwy. 401/407 interchange in the west.
But the plan has faced increasing opposition from regional municipalities including Toronto, which has backed a call from Environmental Defence for a federal environmental assessment of Hwy. 413. Mississauga, Vaughan, Halton Hills, Halton Region, and Orangeville are opposing the highway, while Brampton, Caledon and Peel Region are calling for a federal environmental assessment.
“The GTA West will be vital in securing a future for Ontarians,” says OTA chairman Wendell Erb. “Some will say we can’t afford to spend this type of investment on highways. This is very short-sighted. Afterall, where would we be as a nation with that kind of thinking? We would have no TransCanada Highway, no national railway system or St. Lawrence Seaway.
“As modern-day Ontarians, we should learn from previous generations that invested and built the key infrastructure for the sustainable growth and prosperity of future generations.”
The provincial government revived the highway plans that had been shelved by a previous Liberal administration. The City of Brampton has argued that a stretch of the corridor should come in the form of a 104-meter-wide boulevard with room for pedestrians and a truck-only lane.
The 2012 GTA West Corridor Transportation Development Strategy Report says the new highway could generate $1 billion in GDP as early as 2031, while also improving commercial vehicle travel times during peak periods.
The number of truck delays on inter-regional facilities would be cut in half, and reduce the truck traffic using local roads by about 25%, it concludes.
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Here we go again.
This hwy should have been under way 15 years ago or more!
As always, blocked by “Not in my backyard” mentality.
We could review the Gardiner Expressway or the Allen Expressway or the Kitchener to Guelph or Hwy 6 or ????
All good plans for badly needed high volume roadways that are never implemented.
Stop this hwy. it will cause too much damage to our wetlands and eco systems.
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The hwy should be built to attract investments. We have to sacrifice during city development
Work on getting truck lanes and rate breaks on #407 instead of supporting new duplicate highway
There’s another toll highway that’s already built. Make use of that. Lobby the government to help truckers afford the tolls on Hey 407. A new hwy isn’t the solution.
I would like to sign up to lobby FOR building the highway. Where do I sign up?
Unless a plan for many truck parking spots with electric plugs is included to reduce greenhouse gases it should not be built. We also to make sure we have mixed use multi story buildings with wide planned streets with a minimum of 2 lanes in each direction plus on street parking for large trucks and buses and underground parking for vans , cars and pickups. In the subdivisions.