Doug Ford’s provincial government commits to build Morriston bypass — but when?

Ontario has committed to build the on-again, off-again Highway 6 bypass around the gridlocked village of Morriston.

But be patient, motorists: design work for the bypass is expected to continue into 2022. The timeline for shovels in the ground may also depend on a controversial government proposal to exempt older highway projects from review under the Environmental Assessment Act.

Pleas for a Morriston bypass date back 40 years - and the previous Liberal government once vowed work would begin on the five-kilometre realignment by last year.

The bypass was left in limbo again after the new Tory government decided to review project spending as part of a deficit-busting effort.

Now the essential" bypass - along with widening of Highway 401 - has the green light once again, said Tory Flamborough-Glanbrook MPP Donna Skelly on Wednesday. It will improve the flow of traffic along this vital economic corridor, ensure the growth of the region and reduce the frustration of drivers and village residents trapped in lengthy traffic jams," she said in a release.

Morriston residents have long begged for relief from the daily bottleneck of cars in the tiny village, located on Highway 6 between Hamilton and Guelph. The highway, which narrows to two lanes on the edge of Hamilton and Puslinch, has been dubbed the killer highway" because of a history of serious collisions.

Hamilton businesses have lobbied hard to improve highway access to the 401 and Guelph, with the local chamber of commerce estimating a bypass for 25,000 daily vehicles could be worth $50 million in economic benefits to the region.

But it's not clear when work will begin on a complicated project already pegged to cost $300 million a decade ago.

In response to Spectator questions, Skelly's office said most of the land needed has been purchased but design and engineering work is not expected to be done until 2022. (There is also a new construction budget, but that won't be revealed to protect the pending competitive bidding process.)

Timelines to start and finish construction, meanwhile, are still being finalized" - and it remains uncertain how much extra environmental study is needed.

That's because environmental approvals for the bypass happened so long ago that the Environmental Assessment Act requires a formal review. The original EA dates back to the 1990s, with the most recent study update in 2012.

The PC government has now proposed exempting the bypass - along with 30 other highway projects across Ontario - from the required review. All of the projects were studied and approved more than five years ago, but not built.

The proposed exemption allows the province to focus its resources on more significant, complex infrastructure projects with the highest potential for environmental impacts," reads an online notice posted for public comment until Aug. 22.

Environment Hamilton head Lynda Lukasik said she sympathizes with Morriston residents who endure dangerous traffic backlogs and exhaust fumes outside their homes.

But she said she also opposes the government's proposal to cut corners" on environmental due diligence in the name of fast-tracking construction. Checks and balances are important," said Lukasik, who argued the province is using the desire for post-pandemic economic recovery as an opportunity to chip away" at various environmental regulations.

The default environmental review after five years is supposed to gauge whether site conditions, government policy or ecological preservation requirements for a particular project have changed over time. It also allows the public to review and weigh in on any changes.

Matthew Van Dongen is a Hamilton-based reporter covering transportation for The Spectator. Reach him via email: mvandongen@thespec.com

The bypass project: What's involved?

The latest plan will reroute and expand Highway 6 and widen parts of Highway 401. The work includes:

• Widening Highway 401 from six to 10 lanes, including lanes for high-occupancy vehicles, between Highway 6 North and Highway 6 South interchanges;

• Building two new interchanges and improving existing interchanges;

• Building new bridges for rail and car traffic across the realigned Highway 6;

• Building a new five-kilometre, four-lane divided highway from Freelton to the 401 bypassing the village of Morriston to the west.