Changes are coming to Highway 52 at Powerline Road, according to Ward 12 Coun. Craig Cassar.
Concerns about the safety of the intersection were stirred in March, when a fatal car accident near the intersection during a snowfall took the lives of a couple in their 80s.
The junction at Powerline Road and Highway 52 is on a curve, has a busy dairy farm and store nearby, and the Brantford-Hamilton Rail Trail crosses the road near the area, leading to frequent foot traffic.
While there is no evidence the intersection itself was a cause for the accident, advocates in the Turn on Powerline group calling for a roundabout said the danger of the intersection needs to be addressed.
In an email to Dave Jones, leader of the Turn on Powerline group, Cassar wrote that the roundabout will likely begin in 2028 and will “only require a single construction season.”
That date, Jones said, is “unconscionable.”
“That will be eight years since I initiated my request,” he said, adding that he has contacted MPP Donna Skelly about finding a way to fast-track the environmental assessment required for the project.
Cassar told FlamboroughToday the project is complex, which is why it will take several years to finish.
“As much as I would like to just get it done, there are processes to be followed," he said.
Cassar said he will meet on-site with the city’s director of transportation, Carolyn Ryall, and Jones to talk about some short-term solutions to the safety concerns at the intersection in the meantime.
Right now, the work at the intersection is in its beginning stages. Cassar wrote that paperwork for a Request for Proposal has begun. The city will then have to choose a consultant for the project’s environmental assessment and notify residents to “request for permission to enter their properties to conduct natural heritage investigations.”
Cassar’s email says the city will likely need to purchase private property to reconfigure the intersection into a roundabout. An archaeological assessment will have to be completed, so work does not disturb or destroy Indigenous artifacts that could be in the area.
The work also needs to consider current and future traffic conditions, roadway safety, multi-modal transportation infrastructure needs (i.e. bike lanes, possible truck or bus traffic, foot traffic from the nearby Rail Trail, etc.), the natural environment surrounding the site and drainage and hydrology in the area.
Timeline for roundabout
- Spring to summer 2024 — choose consultant and notify residents about a potential archaeological dig on their properties near the site of the roundabout
- Later in 2024 — city will potentially host a public meeting to present the findings of any technical work needed for construction and inform residents in the area.
- Winter to spring 2025 — any additional technical field work will be completed.
- Fall 2025 — final recommendations for the project will be documented and presented to council. The project will be put into a 30-day review period.
- 2026-2027 — the environmental assessment, design and utility works will be completed.
- 2028 — construction begins
