More lanes on the Linc? Hamilton inches closer to widening city parkways

As more traffic is expected to hit Hamilton's two-lane city-run parkways in the coming years, officials are looking at making both wider.

The Lincoln Alexander Parkway (often referred to as the Linc) and Red Hill Valley Parkway (RHVP) connect local roads to provincial highways and are relied on by thousands of commuters and transportation trucks each day.

A new feasibility study has found there's enough room along the inside medians of the parkways to add a third lane in both directions, said Steve Molloy, the city's transportation planning manager. 

Widening the eight-kilometre Linc will cost at least $81.5 million and the nine-kilometre RHVP about $56.2 million, he said. 

"This debate has probably going on for 10 years," Molloy told councillors.

What's different now is the city has established widening can be done and roughly how much it will cost, he said. But staff are still in the early stages, so far recommending only that they begin getting feedback from the public, Indigenous communities and other stakeholders for the Linc widening. 

The public works committee gave staff the green light to do public consultation, with council getting the final say on that step next week. 

Coun. Matt Francis indicated that at council, he'll be asking staff to also get public feedback on widening the RHVP, as well.

On an average day, the Linc sees about 88,000 trips and the RHVP sees 92,000, said the staff report. During morning and afternoon rush hours, both parkways are operating at or above their "design capacity," leading to congestion. 

With the city expected to grow by a quarter million people by 2051, traffic is expected to get worse, Molloy said. 

"I'm going to enthusiastically support any efforts to widen roads," said Coun. Mark Tadeson, whose Ward 11 encompasses businesses near the airport that rely on delivery trucks coming in through the parkways. 

Coun. Tom Jackson, who represents Ward 6, which includes the parkways, described the Linc as "a massive success story" since it opened in 1997 at reducing congestion on Mountain roads. 

He said he's "extremely supportive" of its widening especially as the city has, in recent years, diverted transport trucks from downtown streets, increasing the number using the parkways instead.

'Ever increasing congestion'

But Gaby Kalapos, executive director of the Clean Air Partnership, told public works the "sad reality" is widening highways is not only expensive but also does not reduce congestion in the long run, as research suggests.

"When you build new lanes, the initial reduction in traffic that makes driving more attractive prompts individuals to take more trips and increases the reliance on single occupancy vehicles," said Kalapos, speaking as a delegate. 

"This results in ever increasing congestion over time."  

She encouraged councillors to consider alternatives strategies to "actually address congestion and admissions more effectively." 

Those alternatives could be adding carpooling lanes, building up public transit infrastructure, adding transit-only parkway lanes and finding ways to encourage other ways of getting around like walking, biking or riding electric scooters, she said. 

The staff report notes these could be alternatives to lane widening, or the city could add lanes in only some key areas.

Coun. Craig Cassar (Ward 12) said he'll be requesting, at council, that staff look more closely at these alternatives. 

"If we step back and look at it more holistically, I think we get a better answer and determine if this is the best way to spend money to offer better transportation," he said. 

"No one is trying to get the car to go away. It's about giving options." 

The city is also waiting to hear from the province about how it may improve connections from the Linc and RHVP to Highway 403 and the Queen Elizabeth Way, respectively.

Coun. Ted McMeekin (Ward 15) asked whether the Ministry of Transportation had said whether it would take over the parkways, a request staff made last year.

That request has gone unanswered, said Molloy.