Environmental Study Report for Bradford’s Southeast Arterial

By Miriam King Bradford Times November 18 2010
The Environmental Assessment Study Report for the Southeast Arterial Roadway (SEAR), part of a proposed ring road around Bradford, has been completed. The proposed road connects Dissette St. with Simcoe Road, cutting south through a portion of the Bradford Marsh, then swinging west through vacant lands south of the Bradford Community Centre and Centennial Park.

The Minor Arterial Road was identified in the Town’s Master Servicing Study (2003), and is being proposed primarily to accommodate future growth in the Green Valley Area.
The ESR was modified as a result of public information centres held on April 15 and October 26, 2009, and January 28, 2010 – and identified the preferred solution as a combination of building new roads, and widening existing roads and intersections. Within that context, the consultants looked at 5 Alternative routes – then narrowed them down to 2, before selecting a preferred route: Alternative 4, which cuts through a portion of the Bradford Marsh, follows the northern part of Morris Rd., then cuts westward just south of the Bradford Community Centre, to connect with Simcoe Rd. at Luxury.
However, input from residents of Morris Road, impacted by the proposal, led to the consideration of a 6th alternative: a shorter road that would link Dissette St. with Simcoe Rd. via Edwards St., just north of the Bradford Community Centre.
In the end, LEA Consulting decided not to modify its Preferred Option – especially since, to accommodate a 30 metre Right-of-Way, the road would have to go through the old arena.
As for expropriation, both Alternatives 4 and 6 require expropriation of lands. The preferred route will require the Town to acquire the residential property on Simcoe Rd. immediately opposite Luxury Ave., some rear yard land, the southeast corner of Centennial Park, agricultural lands within the Bradford Marsh, and the small house on Bridge St. at the Dissette intersection. LEA Consulting estimates the cost of roadwork, including watercourse crossings and a 120 m. naturalized stream channel, at $7.1 million. Design and expropriation costs are not included in the estimate.
Because part of the proposed route is within the Holland Marsh Environmentally Sensitive Area, special precautions, including the use of Oil Grit Separators, erosion and siltation controls, fish trapping and relocation, new plantings of native species, and monitoring of conditions, are required.
The Report notes that Transportation corridors are permitted within the Greenbelt and that “the amount of land required from the Greenbelt plan area to accommodate the preferred alignment along the existing Morris Rd. right-of-way has been minimized to the extent possible.
Among the modifications proposed: Morris Rd. will become a cul-de-sac just north of the Southeast Arterial; the remainder of the road will be accessed via a new road built off the SEAR just south of the Bradford Community Centre. Full access from Walker to Simcoe Rd. will be maintained, through intersection improvements at Luxury. And noise mitigation is proposed for homes located at the intersection of the SEAR and Luxury-Simcoe Rd.
The completed study can be reviewed at the Clerk’s Office, 100 Dissette St.; BWG Public Library, 100 Holland Court; and Town of BWG Engineering Services, 31 Barrie St., in Bradford.
The ESR is also online at www.town.bradfordwestgwillimbury.on.ca/TownHall/Engineering Look at Public Works, Environmental Assessment Studies. Interested persons should submit their comments by December 1.