The Town of Whitby is encouraging residents to have their say on the Highway 7/12 Alternative Route Environmental Assessment.
Currently, the existing Provincial Highway 7/12 travels through Downtown Brooklin (Baldwin Street) as a 2-lane urban highway. An alternate route must be determined for provincial truck traffic, goods movement and motorists not destined to Downtown Brooklin.
The Virtual Community Open House is open until January 6, 2021.
“Take a brief survey to share your thoughts on the current list of alternative routes and factors to be used as the basis for comparing alternatives,” said a town statement.
Feedback collected from the community will help the town inform the next phase of the project, which is to evaluate and select an alternative route.
The town has initiated a Provincial Class Environmental Assessment (EA) Study(External link) to determine an alternative route(s) for the provincial traffic through the Brooklin area. The study will evaluate alternative corridors and recommend a preferred plan to address both the local and provincial traffic needs of the Study Area.
Problem and Opportunity Statement
The Problem and Opportunity Statement identified in the Brooklin Transportation Master Plan Study (2017), as adopted by this Environmental Assessment (EA), is as follows:
“With impending significant population growth and to support a community-focused, pedestrian-oriented, business-friendly and sustainable downtown, the longer distance through traffic, heavy truck traffic, and some commuter traffic is no longer suited to travel through Downtown Brooklin. Diversion of Provincial Highway 7/12 to a suitable alternative has the potential to alleviate congestion and improve the social environment of the downtown core. Transportation policies and infrastructure improvements are required to encourage alternative sustainable modes of travel throughout Brooklin (transit, walking and cycling) and to accommodate the transportation infrastructure needs associated with growth identified in the Brooklin Secondary Plan Area.”
This EA will assess transportation alternatives and opportunities to address and support the Problem and Opportunity Statement. This EA also includes the analysis and evaluation of alternatives for the northern terminus of Baldwin Street (potentially with Thickson Road) to discourage connectivity for through trips not destined to Brooklin.