It is always best to plan ahead. How many times have we heard that saying before? Recently, provincial planners presented regional council with an update on the future expansion of Hwy. 427. Although still in the environmental assessment and planning stage, the proposed route has the roadway extending from where it is now at Hwy. 7 (Queen Street East) going further north to Major Mackenzie Drive in Vaughan, just east of Hwy. 50. Years ago, the plan was to extend Hwy. 427 to Hwy. 9 (the northern edge of Caledon between Orangeville and New Market) and up to Barrie. An environmental assessment (EA) for that project was in the works when the current provincial government decided to scrap the plan in favour of a much shorter highway extension. The scope of the current project is focused on serving the Canadian Pacific Rail intermodal terminal in the Major Mackenzie and Hwy. 50 areas, which planners say will expand operations at the facility by about 150 per cent. There has been a number of "alternative views" presented during this process including the idea of bringing the transportation corridor northwest to Mayfield Road, which also makes sense for Brampton given the booming housing developments in that part of town. Arguably the larger issue at hand is that the expansion of the transportation corridor is too limited in scope and does not consider "the bigger picture" with respect to growth in this region. No one can deny that considerable growth will occur in this area over the next few decades. Yet the Hwy. 427 expansion just stops— literally. Therefore we can't help agree with Brampton Mayor Susan Fennell that municipal and provincial authorities sit down now and begin to map out a plan for that highway, including setting aside land for future expansion to Peel's northern boundary at Hwy. 9.
It is always best to plan ahead. How many times have we heard that saying before? Recently, provincial planners presented regional council with an update on the future expansion of Hwy. 427. Although still in the environmental assessment and planning stage, the proposed route has the roadway extending from where it is now at Hwy. 7 (Queen Street East) going further north to Major Mackenzie Drive in Vaughan, just east of Hwy. 50. Years ago, the plan was to extend Hwy. 427 to Hwy. 9 (the northern edge of Caledon between Orangeville and New Market) and up to Barrie. An environmental assessment (EA) for that project was in the works when the current provincial government decided to scrap the plan in favour of a much shorter highway extension. The scope of the current project is focused on serving the Canadian Pacific Rail intermodal terminal in the Major Mackenzie and Hwy. 50 areas, which planners say will expand operations at the facility by about 150 per cent. There has been a number of "alternative views" presented during this process including the idea of bringing the transportation corridor northwest to Mayfield Road, which also makes sense for Brampton given the booming housing developments in that part of town. Arguably the larger issue at hand is that the expansion of the transportation corridor is too limited in scope and does not consider "the bigger picture" with respect to growth in this region. No one can deny that considerable growth will occur in this area over the next few decades. Yet the Hwy. 427 expansion just stops— literally. Therefore we can't help agree with Brampton Mayor Susan Fennell that municipal and provincial authorities sit down now and begin to map out a plan for that highway, including setting aside land for future expansion to Peel's northern boundary at Hwy. 9.
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