River Road extension to begin later this year
Posted Mar 27, 2019 01:30:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It's been 40 years in the making.
The River Road extension project is set to begin later this year, a stretch of road that has been mired in controversy because of concerns stemming from Hidden Valley, which includes an environmentally sensitive area, provincially significant wetlands and home to wildlife such as the rare Jefferson salamander discovered in 2007.
The project comes at a cost of $72 million and expect to be complete by 2024.
The need for the road was first identified in 1979 as a means to reduce congestion in the Fairway and Manitou area of Kitchener.
And when a plan was brought forward two years later, it involved putting the road through Hidden Valley.
What followed was environmental assessments, delays, extensive public consultations and led to a new design concept getting approval at Regional Council in March 2014.
Construction will be done in two phases and connect Manitou Drive with King Street.
The first phase covers from Manitou Drive to Wabanaki Road and Hidden Valley Road, with the second phase connecting it across Highway 8 to King Street and River Road.
When all is set and done, the new four-laned roadway will cover 3.6 kilometres with a continuous median and multi-use trails on both sides between King Street and Manitou Drive.
You'll also see some signalized and unsignalized intersections along the way, along with roundabouts, on and off-ramps at Highway 8 and two bridges.
One will cross Schneider Creek and the other will cross Highway 8.
CLICK HERE for more on the project.
