Woolwich mayor still pushing for truck bypass route for downtown Elmira

The Elmira Business Improvement Area (BIA) has put together a masterplan to revitalize the downtown but can’t implement it until transport trucks are detoured away.

For years, transport trucks have been using Arthur Street in Elmira to connect to highways and deliver products. It’s caused problems, with noise, pollution and safety for the people that live or work there.

The Mayor of Woolwich, Sandy Shantz, was on The Mike Farwell Show July 22 and said she’s frustrated that a truck bypass route isn’t more of a priority for the region.

“I’m not sure why we can’t be a priority too. If you’ve been on our main street it needs to be done, it’s a mess,” she said.

Shantz noticed the noise problems when she was campaigning about 10 years ago.

“If we’re going to have that kind of traffic for the next 20 or 30 years then its going to look a lot different then if we can make it pedestrian friendly.”

Elmira has an interesting mix of traffic rolling through, including Mennonites on horses and buggies. Shantz said an environmental assessment (EA) is needed to see where the truck bypass route could go, but that EA has been delayed.

“There are residents along Arthur Street as well, some with young children and they all have expressed concerns to me about the noise, the safety and the smells as well,” said Shantz.

The problem with the trucks using downtown Elmira has grown overtime, the mayor added that it can be hard just to walk down the street for a conversation due to noise or pollution.

Shantz added she isn’t sure when an EA will happen at this time as it keeps getting pushed further and further down the road.

“We are the only major centre that really doesn’t have a bypass.”

She pointed out that Breslau has Fountain Street, New Hamburg and Baden have Highway 7, and Kitchener-Waterloo has the expressway.

“You don’t see transport trucks heading down King Street,” she added.

Shantz said she would have guessed five years ago that Elmira would be well on its way to building a route but so far, nothing has happened.

“We’re expected to grow in the township almost double by 2051, so you know you can’t grow that fast without the infrastructure and there’s sort of a chicken and egg thing there happening with that.”