SUMMARY of Region Committee report 2010-J-46 Highway 407 Phase One Status
(summary by Columbus Coalition of the information contained in Durham Region's Planning, Works. Finance & Admin Committees Report # 2010-J-46, Sept. 28, 2010 and the Infrastructure Ontario website.)
June 9 2010 Infrastructure Ontario opened a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to companies interested in bidding on the project. The submission deadline was Aug 16 2010. The RFQ is now closed and the next step in the process is a Request for Proposals (RFP) set to open in November and close in the Spring 2011.
As detailed in the RFQ:
The 407 extension will be 19 km east from Brock Rd to Simcoe St with a 10 km Link south to connect with the 401, this 'West Durham' Link to be located just east of Lakeridge Rd.
The 407 extension will include 6 lanes east from Brock Rd to the West Durham Link (10 km) and then 4 lanes east from the Link to Simcoe St ( 9 km) with interchanges at Brock Rd, Lake Ridge Rd, Baldwin St, Thickson Rd, and potentially at Simcoe Street (However the RFQ does not specify if the 407 termination at Simcoe St will be constructed as an at-grade signalized intersection or as a partial interchange.)
The West Durham Link will be a 4 lane south freeway to connect Hwy 407 and 401 (10 km) with interchanges at Hwy 401, 407/7, as well as Taunton Rd and Dundas St.Interchanges that were included in the approved 407 Environmental Asssessment (EA), but are not part of the Phase One construction are Highway 407 at Westney, Salem and Thornton Rds; the West Durham Link at Rossland Rd; and Highway 401.
Although Phase One construction is anticipated to commence in 2012 and be completed by 2015-2016, there is no timeline for the completion of Highway 407 east of Simcoe Street.
The Region "recommended that the Province honour its commitment to deliver the entire Highway 407 East undertaking by providing a definitive schedule for the NEXT procurement process to complete the Highway 407 extension from Simcoe Street to Highway 35/115, including the East Durham Link, such that timing for the entire undertaking is within 5 years of Phase One completion."
Potential Traffic Model based on 2016 forecastTo assess the potential traffic impacts of the Phase One announcement,
preliminary analysis has been undertaken through the Region’s transportation model. Population and employment forecasts to 2016 were used as inputs to the model. The model also assumed the existing road network, plus planned Regional road improvements that would likely be constructed based on current capital budget forecasts by 2016. These road improvements were determined in consultation with Works Department staff.
The report states how "it is difficult from any traffic analysis to determine the extent to which other roads will be impacted as you move away from the Simcoe Street/Winchester Road area, until a few years after the opening when driving patterns are established."
Reduced quality of life for Hamlet of Columbus "Increased traffic and goods movement on certain roads, accelerated due to the Highway 407 termination, create negative community impacts and a reduced quality of life for existing hamlets such as Columbus and Mitchell Corners."
Safety"Even if the recommended safety improvements are in place through road widenings and intersection upgrades, increased policing to address potential speeding and other traffic violations may be needed."
Cost The cost "estimate for the easterly portion of the Highway 407 extension from Simcoe Street (Oshawa) to Highway 35/115 in Clarington is $443 million. The figure does not include the cost of constructing the East Durham Link."
"The potential requirement for additional new road projects, and the advancement of others within the capital roads forecast program to accommodate the Highway 407 termination at Simcoe Street, creates additional unanticipated capital construction ($255 million) and life cycle costs ($89.9 million over a 30 year period) to what is currently in the Roads Capital Forecast Program, using available development charge financing based on growth projections. This would require an annual average property tax increase of 10% from 2011 to 2016 for the road construction and then an additional 1% property tax increase per year (or 30%) for the next 30 years to finance the ongoing life cycle capital improvement and operating maintenance costs. Therefore, the current property tax assessment base will have to absorb the additional costs. Regional staff require a significant amount of information from the 407 East Implementation Team to be confident that the Highway 407 termination at Simcoe Street is feasible from a traffic capacity, operations and safety perspective. To this end, the Region’s capital budget forecast will require significant adjustments, having implications in potentially delaying other growth-related Regional Road projects across the Region if additional funds are not realized.
The Region expects "that this information will be provided by the 407 East Implementation Team in the coming weeks, and the Region and MTO will be able to work towards a feasible solution to address the anticipated impacts of the Phase One construction."