The second Public Information Centre (PIC) for the Hawkesbury Bridge Replacements Project (HBRP) was hosted on October 17 at the Royal Canadian Legion and saw approximately 20 individuals attend. This was the final public consultation period for the County Road 17 and Highway 34 interchange project and addressed the future transportation needs of the area.
The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) retained Dillon Consulting Limited and Jacobs to conduct the preliminary Design and Transportation Environmental Study Report for the bridge replacements, as they have reached the end of their service life. The MTO presented to attendees of the second PIC with the Technically Preferred Alternative (TPA) as part of the ministry’s ongoing review of the safety and operational needs of the provincial highway network.
“In general, attendees were in favour of the TPA. Many attendees were interested in the duration and the number of closures of Highway 34 and County Road 17 for construction. No concerns were received regarding the preferred construction staging alternative,” Senior Media Relations of the MTO, Tanya Blazina, told The Review.
The TPA outlines a similar design to the current interchange, highlighting that the reconstruction project will not impact private property, maintains free flow traffic for all ramps, and is the standard interchange configuration in Ontario. Potential detour routes were also presented to attendees to provide a brief idea of how construction would take place and its impacts on local traffic.
Blazina further stated that “the anticipated construction timeline remains unchanged since the last public notice. All material, including information provided at PIC#2 is available on the project website,” via www.cr17bridges.com.
Construction is still expected to begin in 2027 and be completed sometime in 2029.
