MORRISTON – For some 15 years, Bill Knetsch has been working with local and provincial authorities on the Highway 6 Morriston bypass and he rejoiced in 2016 when the province announced the funding was there and work would begin in 2019.
It’s now three years after that projection and Knetsch received a letter from the Ministry of Transportation in January telling him the government has “new priorities” and has moved the Bradford bypass and a new Highway 413 across the GTA to the front of the line ahead of the Morriston bypass.
In fact, the Morriston bypass has now become the third part of a phased plan for Highway 401 that includes replacement of the Concession 7 overpass (completed in 2020) and a new interchange on the Hanlon Expressway at Wellington Road 34 (a three- or four-year project to begin this spring).
And there is no funding for the Morriston leg of the project, according to the ministry.
“We’ve been duped,” Knetsch said in a phone interview on Feb. 14. “This government has shifted the funding to the Bradford bypass and the controversial Highway 413. Morriston is not even on this government’s radar.”
In 2014 Knetsch and others came together to form the Morriston Bypass Coalition, a group of individuals, industries and politicians who lobbied hard to get a commitment from the then-Liberal government on building a bypass.
Coalition members include Maple Leaf Foods, Nestle Waters Canada (now BlueTriton), Tim Hortons, Gay Lee, Toyota Motor Manufacturers of Canada, the mayors of Puslinch, Guelph and Hamilton, and the warden of Wellington County.
Some 25,000 vehicles pass through Morriston on Hwy. 6 every day, including daily commuters and transport trucks. It is the only main north-south route for those travelling from Guelph or Kitchener to Hamilton or Niagara Falls.
Industry experts believe the bottleneck through Morriston causes a $30 million hit to the economy every year.
The road is narrow through the tiny village and walking along the sidewalk requires bravery and fortitude, Knetsch said.
“It’s the volume of traffic and it’s safety,” he said. “Countless numbers of people have died on this stretch of highway. I invite anyone to walk the highway – to feel the volume, the noise, the pollution, and the fear.”
Conservative MPP Ted Arnott was a constant advocate of the bypass and lobbied for it while a member of the opposition.
It was the Liberals who announced funding for the bypass in 2016 and made the 2019 construction commitment. The Conservatives came to power in 2018.
But even so, when Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney announced the new Hanlon Expressway interchange, widening of the 401 from six lanes to 10 through the Guelph/Puslinch corridor and the Morriston bypass in July 2020, Knetsch said it wasn’t clear how low in the pecking order the Morriston bypass had dropped.
“I took that aerial virtual tour and it looked beautiful. We were led to believe we were moving forward,” he said. “But we had been lulled to sleep and now it’s time to wake up.”
The coalition has reactivated and has written letters to key politicians, including Mulroney and Premier Doug Ford, asking at least for an explanation and, more pointedly, for an answer on when construction of the bypass will begin.
Knetsch believes it has boiled down to politics and with a provincial election coming in June, it’s time to pressure the government to get moving on this file.
“Is it an election issue? 100%,” he said, noting the Bradford bypass goes right through Mulroney’s York-Simcoe riding.
Knetsch said the Bradford bypass “came out of nowhere” and it is to start this fall and be completed by 2024.
“Meanwhile, we’re sitting here for 40 years begging,” he said.
“This is so disappointing. We have to put some pressure on the government and with an election coming up, this is the time.
“We’re sick and tired of this,” he continued. “It’s been way too long.”
Arnott was not available by press time to speak with the Advertiser.
