Hamilton to study widening Garner Road by up to five lanes

Despite some recent improvements made to the road, Verbunt, who has lived on Garner Road for 35 years, was skeptical the city would ever expand it.

“(Former Ancaster councillor Lloyd Ferguson) told me I wouldn’t see them widen the road. I’m still here.”

Verbunt, along with about 10 people, attended what became a confusing public information meeting on Dec. 11 at the Ancaster Municipal Service Centre on a proposal to widen Garner Road that eventually was held outside in the chilly night air.

“This should have been done five years ago,” said Verbunt, who was talking to city staff in the vestibule of the service centre. “I’m all for the expansion. But the plan had always been there.”

The meeting had originally been scheduled to be held at Old Town Hall next door starting at 6 p.m. but was relocated to a first-floor room at the service centre. Within an hour, the library had closed, and staff and residents were talking about the project in the cold night air for about 45 minutes.

Verbunt said the city prudently expanded Rymal Road along the east Mountain and upper Stoney Creek near Bishop Ryan High School before approving residential development.

“Why is Ancaster the last borough to be looked at?” he said.

The city is conducting a Class C environmental assessment that is exploring widening Garner Road from Wilson Street to the Highway 403 off-ramp near Highway 6. The options include widening the roadway to three lanes, four lanes or five lanes. The goal is to accommodate over 28,000 people by 2031, as recommended by the airport employment growth district’s transportation study. Any road widening would also include accommodating rapid transit service, installing sidewalks, multi-use paths and bike paths, as well as urbanizing the road.

Th Ancaster transportation master plan, which was originally approved in 2007 and revised four years later, stated that Ancaster’s population had jumped from 33,170 in 2006 to 36,000 in 2011. It is expected to continue to rise to about 40,000 by 2031.

The master plan, by Dillon Consulting, recommended at the time that a centre left-turning lane be installed along Garner, along with widening the roadway to four lanes between 50 metres west of Shaver Road and 50 metres east of Miller Drive.

Peak hourly traffic volumes the study identified ranged from 4,886 vehicles near Shaver Road to 7,348 vehicles near Highway 6 to 5,571 at Glancaster.

In 2018, Garner Road underwent major reconstruction work that included replacing sewer and water mains, which shut down the arterial roadway for most of the summer. The work was paid for by developers, which was needed to accommodate all the additional residential developments that have been or will soon be approved by council.

In 2020, traffic was reduced to one lane on Garner between Shaver Road and Hamilton Road to resurface the road.

Several Garner Road residents during the meeting emphasized there is limited land to expand the roadway since the majority of the houses are located near the existing road.

“You guys can’t fit it in,” said Verbunt.

Fred Bristol, who has lived on Garner Road for 87 years, agreed there is not enough property for the city to expand the roadway, unless Hamilton decides to expropriate land from private owners. He said any expansion would bump up against existing homes.

The environmental assessment states the existing rights of way vary along the project area by about 30 metres wide.

“Additional property is required to accommodate cycling and sidewalks,” stated the report.

Megan Salvucci, senior project manager, told residents “there is room to play around.”

“We understand it is tight. We don’t have the exact measurements. For the most part we do believe it is feasible. There is flexibility.”

There are other challenges to expanding Garner Road, including two churches, three cemeteries and four houses that are designated as heritage structures, and 11 homes that are potentially of historical value, all located near the roadway.

Other issues include the roadway travelling through wetlands, woodlands with migratory birds nests, wildlife habitat, fish habitat, and headwater drainage. The city has conducted a Stage 1 archeological assessment and have 132 sites within one kilometre of the area and nine that are within the project area. About 40 per cent of the sites will require a Stage 2 archeological assessment.

Salvucci said the study will also review the stormwater management of the project area, an issue that several residents raised concerns about and how there was flooding in several areas of the roadway.

Dave Oliver, who has lived at the corner of Fiddlers Green and Garner Road for 35 years in a house that is on the city’s heritage registry, said he wanted to improve the safety along the roadway. Oliver, along with several other residents, said at night Garner Road becomes a “drag strip” for vehicles and motorcyclists. Installing sidewalks, while also attempting to slow down traffic by redesigning Garner Road would also improve the safety of pedestrians, said Oliver.

Oliver, who was talking with project staff outside the municipal centre after residents and staff were kicked out of the building because the Ancaster Library closed, has seen Bishop Tonnos High School students walking along the busy roadway near the school’s entrance at Panabaker Drive, creating a potential safety issue.

He hoped the Garner Road widening will follow the successful redevelopment of Rymal Road up to Upper Paradise, where the road is “lovely,” “smooth” and manages to control the traffic flow.

Another public meeting is scheduled to be held in the spring of 2024 to present design alternatives for further public feedback.