407 EXTENSION OPENS
By Kirk Winter
The final stretch of the 407 – connecting the 407 to Highway 35/115 – and Highway 418 is now officially open to drivers.
The Highway 7 East project, owned in its entirety by the Ontario government, was originally scheduled for completion in 2020 but unlike many significant infrastructure projects has come in ahead of the completion date.
Vijay Thaningasalam, parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Transportation, shared, “The completion of the Highway 407 East project will connect communities and greatly improve our transportation network in this region.”
The extension adds a little more than 14 kilometres to the 407, and the new 10 kilometre-long Highway 418 will provide another north-south connection from Highway 407 to Highway 401.
Dave Smith, MPP for Peterborough-Kawartha, is ecstatic that the project has been completed saying, “The extension of this highway will help attract jobs and economic growth to the region.”
Laurie Scott, the Minister for Infrastructure and the Member of Provincial Parliament representing Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock, shared, “Ontario’s highway infrastructure investments help people get where they need to go in a safe and efficient way, while allowing businesses to move goods and deliver services more quickly. These investments help make Ontario open for business and open for jobs.”
Many interested parties in CKL are cautiously optimistic about the impact the 407 will have, but there were some common concerns expressed and shared on social media, including
Increased congestion on Highway 35 as transportation patterns shift to include the 407 as part of local residents’ daily commutes
A continuation of the “rampant speculation” in Manvers Township real estate prices making Manvers unaffordable for most CKL families
The loss of pristine farmland to the expected housing developments as people can now drive even farther to go to work in the GTA
Would money have been better spent on a GO-Train link to Toronto from Peterborough rather than another highway?
The environmental impact of another highway encouraging more consumption of fossil fuels.
Outright critics of the extension were easily found in cyberspace bemoaning the cost of construction, the absence of facilities like gas stations, washrooms or places to eat along the road and what some called the “outrageous toll structures in place that make the road the purview of corporate vehicles and commercial transport trucks.”
One unidentified CKL real estate broker wondered out loud if the City was truly ready for the “unchecked growth that Port Perry and Uxbridge have experienced over the last two decades.”
Member of Parliament Jamie Schmale shared with me in an interview earlier this year that he continues to push for an extension of passenger train service to Peterborough and beyond which he believes would nicely compliment the 407 extension.
The government announced, “Motorists will only receive one invoice for use of Highway 407, 412, 418 and/or 407 ETR. This includes transponder leases, monthly account charges and video toll charges.”
It will be interesting to see just how much rural commuters are willing to pay for the convenience of reducing their GTA commute. Only time will tell.