'Very happy': City approves plan to study Highway 52 roundabout
The Turn on Powerline group has succeeded in getting the City of Hamilton to study installing a roundabout at the Highway 52 and Powerline Road West intersection.
The city's public works committee approved a motion on July 6 to spend $400,000 to study the installation of a roundabout - an increase over the $300,000 they had planned to spend to study a left-turn lane from Highway 52 onto Powerline Road West. According to a staff report, the cost to install the roundabout is expected to be between $3 million and $5 million, not including land acquisition.
Dave Jones spoke at the meeting on behalf of the 100 families in the group in support of the report, noting since the last meeting in April there were two multi-vehicle accidents at the intersection. Jones said the group is very happy" the city is planning to spend money to study the roundabout.
I think we've waited long enough," he said. It's just a matter of time until we have a pedestrian or a cyclist struck at the rail trail crossing."
Jones said in one of the accidents, Penny Santa-Barbara and her daughter were rear-ended at highway speed and pushed into oncoming traffic, but managed to avoid a head-on collision. He added the catalyst for him taking on the issue was a near-miss he experienced in August 2020. Since Santa-Barbara's accident, he has taken to avoiding the intersection completely.
Jones said the Turn on Powerline group would like to see an escalated timeline, adding a roundabout at the intersection was deferred due to budget restraints in 2011, when a roundabout was installed at Jerseyville Road and Highway 52.
Ward 12 Coun. Lloyd Ferguson said there's no question a roundabout is safer than a left-turn lane - but said the beauty of the turning lane is it would be a lot quicker to install, because there is no need for an environmental assessment. According to the staff report, the left-turn lane could be implemented in 2023.
It will take time because we have to do the environmental assessment, then it has to get in the capital budget and get approved," he said of the roundabout. I realize it's a ticking time bomb and hopefully a lot of your members will follow your example and use the roundabout at Jerseyville (Road) ... rather than make that dangerous turn."
Edward Soldo, the city's chief road official, confirmed an environmental assessment is expected to take 1.5 to two years, adding that in addition to the environmental assessment, the project would have to be fit into the city's current work plan.
We'll be putting this forward in terms of timing and funding, as part of the 2023 capital budget process."
Ben Loewith, speaking on behalf of Joe Loewith and Sons dairy farm operation, located at the intersection, said he is in favour of the roundabout. Loewith added there is a large amount of agritourism in the area - and soon the intersection will be home to Loewith's Summit Station Dairy and Creamery, where the farm will process and sell their own milk products.
This intersection is going to get even busier in the future."
To help facilitate the roundabout, Loewith said the farm would be open to discussing donating the land required at the northwest corner of the interaction. Ferguson said the offer is generous," adding the Hamilton Conservation Authority owns the land on the other three corners.
Can we not start negotiating with these parties?" he asked Soldo.
However, while Soldo said the city has started with discussions with the HCA about what the configuration of the trail and roundabout might look like, he said it is premature" to start land negotiations until they know what the footprint of the roundabout will be - something that will come in the EA process.