Plans continue for new highway through Shakespeare
Posted Jan 4, 2010 05:05:31 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The new year brings continued concerns for businesses and residents of a hamlet west of Kitchener.
The Ministry of Transportation is moving ahead with a proposal to build a five-lane highway to handle increased traffic through the hamlet of Shakespeare.
It’s predicted that as many as 30,000 vehicles will be using the highway every day by 2030 and its current two lane design will not be able to handle the increased load.
Doctor Michael Byers, president of the Shakespeare Business Association, acknowledges that the current two-lane highway will be inadequate to meet increasing traffic demands.
But Byers, along with residents of the hamlet between New Hamburg and Stratford, believes there is a better way to meet the increased traffic demand while still preserving the character and history of Shakespeare.
Byers tells 570 News that the hamlet is part of a tourist area that includes Stratford and its famous festival, adding that visitors to Shakespeare have told him if a five-lane highway is built, they will not come back.
Byers believes the new highway will destroy the walkability and antique shopping experience in the community of Shakespeare.
He says the five-lane highway proposal would put Shakespeare’s historic buildings at risk while literally dividing the hamlet into north and south sections.
Byers admits the hamlet likes the tourist traffic and would like to eliminate commercial truck traffic but he thinks a tunnel to divert trucks underneath Shakespeare is a better option to consider.
The Ministry of Transportation had planned a public meeting on its highway proposal last November but Byers says the overwhelming negative response to the plans has the ministry buried in paperwork.
He expects to hear about the next steps in the process early this year.
