Infrastructure updates: significant investment coming to Ward 15
For the past year and a half since the election, my goal at City Hall has been to fight for tax fairness, secure value for tax dollars, and secure increased investment in Ward 15. Waterdown is the fastest growing community in our city. Infrastructure investment by the City of Hamilton needs to start catching-up with the rapid expansion of the area. What follows is a project-by-project update of major capital projects, now slated for Waterdown and area and their associated timeline.
New Recreation Centre coming to Waterdown
The City of Hamilton is now on track to build a new Recreation Centre in Waterdown. The location will be near Harry Howel Arena. This area was chosen by the City for a couple of key reasons. First of all, the City already owns the land, including approximately 12 acres around the arena. As well, the area has the sufficient electrical, water, and sewage infrastructure within range of the new build, which dramatically decreases the logistical challenges will a major construction project. Joe Sams Park was considered as well, but it lacks the infrastructure to support the needs of a capital project of this magnitude. Soon, the City of Hamilton will start the public engagement process, seeking input from the community on the needs and wants of a new community centre. More than $20 million has already been allocated to the project and at present, we are looking at construction to begin in a few years.
Joint Police / Fire Compound to be built in Waterdown
A new joint police and fire compound will be built in the area of Parkside Dr. and Highway 6. The City of Hamilton has already allocated $28 million to the project, which will include a new collision reporting centre, in addition to the new police and fire station. Once operational, the new building will be supported by full-time firefighters, as well as 40 police officers. Fire Station 24 on Parkside Dr. will continue its operations and will be staffed by the volunteer firefighter force.
Further, the City of Hamilton is likely to add a new 911 dispatch centre to the building. That would yield an additional $22 million investment for our community. Both of Hamilton’s Police and Fire Chiefs have spoken publicly and often about the need for this location in Waterdown. As our community continues to grow, these are essential resources for citizens of Ward 15.
English Public Elementary School coming to Waterdown
Despite overwhelming evidence to support a new school in Waterdown, the HWDSB application for funding was denied by the province of Ontario in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Thankfully, through intensive advocacy from many in our community, including myself, the Mayor, our School Board trustee, and concerned parents alike, in April of 2024 the province announced $22.1 million in funding to build a new elementary school in Waterdown. The new school will be built in the Mountainview Heights neighbourhood and will be located at the intersection of Skinner Road and Great Falls Boulevard. It will create 504 new student spaces for children in kindergarten to Grade 8, and the building will also house a new 88-space childcare centre with two preschool rooms, two toddler rooms, and an infant room. The new school is anticipated to be ready for the school year beginning September 2027.
Waterdown By-Pass to resume excavation work
Construction of the partially completed Waterdown Bypass, also known as the East-West Corridor, has been on pause since 2021, due to a detailed archaeological investigation, in partnership with four First Nations. In July 2022, excavation fieldwork identified that the project needed to extend beyond the road allowance into adjacent private properties. Given the importance of protecting Indigenous heritage, the First Nations requested fieldwork be suspended until an acceptable strategy was developed; including extending the limits of archaeological investigation beyond the road allowance and informing property owners about the potential for archaeology on private property.
In acknowledgment of the First Nations’ concerns, the City plans to pursue a staged archaeological approach that includes a project oriented short-term mitigation strategy and a long-term protection strategy. The approaches to archaeology on the sites are supported by the First Nations, as well as the Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism. Monitoring during construction for this project will be according to provincial requirements. At present, it is expected that construction of the Waterdown bypass will recommence in 2026.
New parks in our community
Creating public spaces for residents to enjoy with friends and family is a key aspect of good community building. To the end, two new parks / playgrounds, named Clear Skies Park and Smokey Hollow Park, will be built in Waterdown in 2024. Clear Skies Park will be developed on a 2.7 acre parcel of land at 45 Gunby Blvd. Construction is planned for summer 2024, with a future expansion to be built directly north of the first phase. Coming to the Mountainview Heights neighbourhood is Smokey Hollow Park. It will be located near the water tower at Skinner Rd and Pond View Gate, next to the property on which the new elementary school will be built. Smokey Hollow Park is also slated for development in the summer of 2024.
Road repair and speed cushion installation
Based on traffic studies completed last year, there are dozens of locations in Waterdown where enhanced traffic calming measures and increased traffic cushion construction will be funded in 2024. I know this will be welcome news to many residents, as nearly half of all communication to the Ward 15 Office is related to safe streets. To read more about what steps the City is taking to make our streets safer, please review the transcript from the Ward 15 Town Hall: Safe Streets.
In addition to the major capital projects coming to Ward 15, an additional $3.5 million is earmarked for major bridge and road work on Dundas St, between Mill St. all the way to the boundary with Burlington. This work is scheduled into 2025 and beyond. The area of Dundas between Mill St. and First St. is particularly notorious for potholes and repeated degradation, especially during freeze / thaw cycles. The entire stretch from Mill St. past Avonsyde will receive a major overhaul, following the reconstruction of the bridge over the train tracks at Mill St. and Dundas.
CPKC bridge reconstruction work (Dundas and Mill St.)
The bridge over the Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) railway tracks and Grindstone Creek on Dundas St. near Mill St. will be completely reconstructed in 2025 and 2026. The work will include extensive road improvements from Mill St. to Reynold St, including the creation of new multi-use path, and upgrades to the underground utility infrastructure, including watermain upgrades, as well as sanitary sewer and storm sewer work. The demolition and subsequent replacement of the bridge will be undertaken as a two-stage construction project, facilitated over two construction seasons.
The first half of the project, beginning in April 2025, will see the demolition and rebuilding of the south side of the bridge / road. During this phase, only one-way only traffic will flow through the remaining half (north side) of the bridge. This phase is scheduled to last from April through October of 2025. In phase two, beginning in the spring of 2026, two-way traffic will recommence and flow through the newly constructed south side of the bridge. During the second phase, the north side will be demolished and reconstructed. Pedestrian traffic will be maintained all stages of construction.
Traffic on the bridge during stage one construction will be one lane, one-way only, moving easterly towards Burlington. West bound traffic will be detoured through Avonsyde Blvd. to Parkside Dr. and back to Dundas Street through Hamilton St. During stage two construction in 2026, traffic will pass through the newly constructed portion of the bridge, as a two-lane road, one lane in each direction. Pedestrian connectivity through the bridge will be always maintained through both phases of construction. Currently, the City is still waiting for some permits from Halton Conservation and the Crossing and Maintenance Agreement with CPKC.
