Report No. 3 of the Planning and Economic Development Committee Regional Council Meeting of March 27, 2008

2 NEED FOR BRADFORD

The Planning and Economic Development Committee recommends the adoption of the recommendations contained in the following report dated February 20, 2008, from the Commissioner of Planning and Development Services:

1. RECOMMENDATIONS

It is recommended that: 1. Regional Council request the Regional Chair to present a brief to the Ministers of Public Infrastructure Renewal, Transportation and Municipal Affairs and Housing on the urgent need for action on the Bradford Bypass, including adding the Bradford Bypass into the Provincial Growth Plan and committing to develop an implementation schedule with York Region.

2. The Regional Chair send letters with this report as an attachment to the Clerks of the Towns of , Newmarket and Bradford-West Gwillimbury, , and the Ministers of Public Infrastructure Renewal, Transportation and Municipal Affairs and Housing.

2. PURPOSE

Bradford Bypass Urgently Required to Support Forecasted Growth

This report presents the rationale and need for the Bradford Bypass based on forecasted growth, current planning context at the Regional and local municipal levels and the approved route environmental assessment. Further, this report requests the Regional Chair to present a brief to the appropriate Provincial officials and commence discussions to have the Bradford Bypass included within Provincial Plans as a necessary infrastructure investment within the horizon of 2031.

3. BACKGROUND

Regional Council Directed that Bradford Bypass be Shown in the ROP

Regional Planning and Economic Development Committee at its meeting of June 13, 2007, during discussion on Proposed Regional Amendment 54 - the technical update amendment, resolved that “the approved alignment for the Highway 404 Extension north from Green Lane and the Bradford Bypass be shown on Map 9 through modification”.

Report No. 3 of the Planning and Economic Development Committee Regional Council Meeting of March 27, 2008

To fulfill this direction, Proposed Regional Official Plan Amendment 58 was introduced and a public meeting held on September 5, 2007. The Amendment was circulated following the public meeting and comments were received from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing in November 2007 recommending that the Region not include either highway in the operative parts of the ROP because they were not included in the Provincial Growth Plan.

Following the public meeting, Council at its meeting on September 27, 2007 requested the Commissioner of Planning and Development Services and the General Manager, Roads to provide a report within two months on the recognition of Green Lane as a critical bypass in the context of the identification of Highway 404 for development and the proposed Bradford By-pass.

3.1 INTRODUCTION

Provincial Studies Identified Need For Bradford Bypass

Transportation problems related to out-of-the-way travel and traffic congestion in the area south of were first examined by the Ministry of Transportation in 1979 followed by two additional studies of transportation issues in 1984 and 1989. The last study in 1989 identified the long term need for a Provincial facility north of Bradford linking Highway 400 to the future Highway 404 Extension.

Because of the interdependence between the Bradford Bypass and Highway 404 Extension, the Province initiated concurrent environmental assessments for the two projects in 1993.

Provincial Route Environmental Assessments Approved in 2002

The Province initiated EAs for both the Highway 404 Extension and Bradford Bypass in 1993. The Ministry of the Environment (MOE) approved both EAs on August 28, 2002. In 2004, the Province designated the approved alignments as “Controlled Access Highway” corridors under the Highway Traffic Act.

This designation, which is registered in the Land Titles Office in Simcoe and in York Region, requires that applications and permits occurring within 450 m either side of the centre-line be circulated to the Ministry of Transportation for comment to ensure that the proposals do not compromise the proposed highway route. The approved alignment of the Bradford Bypass is shown in Attachment 1.

Current Municipal Official Plans and Regional Transportation Master Plan Support the Bradford Bypass

Both the Bradford Bypass and the Highway 404 Extension beyond Ravenshoe Road are currently shown in approved local official plans in Bradford-West Gwillimbury, East

Report No. 3 of the Planning and Economic Development Committee Regional Council Meeting of March 27, 2008

Gwillimbury and Georgina and the County of Simcoe Official Plan. The Township of King Official Plan does not reflect this EA approved route for the Bradford Bypass as the current official plan predates the EA approval.

The Regional Official Plan has shown a conceptual alignment of the Bradford Bypass and Highway 404 Extension since the ROP’s approval in 1994. Based on the EA approval of the projects in 2002, Regional Planning and Economic Development Committee felt that a refinement to the conceptual alignments to reflect the approved alignments should be included in the ROP. As previously indicated, Regional Amendment 58 was introduced to implement this direction.

In addition to Official Plan identification, York Region’s 2002 Transportation Master Plan confirmed the need for the Bradford Bypass by 2021.

Regional Planning and Economic Development Committee at its meeting on March 7, 2007 endorsed the report “Provincial Infrastructure Required to Implement the Places to Grow Plan in York Region” which reiterated York Region’s request to the Province to commit to funding critical Provincial infrastructure in support of the Provincial Growth Plan. The list of critical Provincial transportation infrastructure in York Region included: • A rapid transit system in all four York Region corridors. • Full funding of GO Transit’s expansion plan. • Highway 404, 427 and Bradford Bypass expansions. • New interchanges (12 new or modified interchanges) and widening of 400-series highways. • HOV lanes on 400-series highways. • Support and funding for transportation demand management and commuter parking lots. • Cross-boundary and boundary road improvements

3.2 LACK OF PROVINCIAL PLANS FOR BRADFORD BYPASS

Provincial Highway Capital Plan

In June 2006, the Province released its first 5-year highway construction capital plan, the Southern Highways Program 2006 to 2010. It included the Highway 404 extension to Ravenshoe Road but not the extension beyond Ravenshoe Road or the Bradford Bypass.

The Federal Government’s FLOW announcement in March 2007 confirmed the Highway 404 extension completion up to Ravenshoe Road for 2012.

Report No. 3 of the Planning and Economic Development Committee Regional Council Meeting of March 27, 2008

Places to Grow and Provincial Growth Plan

The Places to Grow Act and the accompanying Growth Plan, in addition to identifying population and employment forecasts to 2031 also identify major highway infrastructure needs for the same horizon. The Growth Plan includes the Highway 404 extension to Ravenshoe Road but not Bradford Bypass nor the Highway 404 extension beyond Ravenshoe Road. By exclusion, the Growth Plan has identified that neither the Bradford Bypass nor the Highway 404 extension beyond Ravenshoe Road is needed by 2031 and is not being pursued by the Province. As there was no transportation analysis done to support the Growth Plan, there is no basis for determining that the Bradford Bypass and Highway 404 extension beyond Ravenshoe Road are not needed.

In May 2007, the then Minister of Transportation, the Honourable confirmed that the Province was not undertaking further work on either the Bradford Bypass or the Highway 404 extension beyond Ravenshoe Road. In November 2007, commenting on the Region’s Proposed Amendment 58, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH), on behalf of the Province through its one-window planning commenting approach, recommended that the ROP not show these facilities on a map in the ROP nor describe them as priorities for infrastructure investment. The Province also suggested that the alignments might be shown on an appendix map.

4. ANALYSIS AND OPTIONS

4.1 CURRENT TRANSPORTATION PLANNING CONTEXT

Transportation Needs

There are a number of existing transportation issues that have given rise to the need for additional east-west transportation capacity between Highways 400 and 404. These issues were all identified and discussed in MTO’s Environmental Assessment Report for the “Highway 400 – Highway 404 Extension Link (Bradford Bypass)”, completed in December 1997. Together, these issues formed the transportation need for the Bradford Bypass as was approved by the Ministry of the Environment.

Due to severe traffic congestion on Highway 400, seasonal and recreational traffic is choosing to use Highway 404 and Regional arterial and local concession roads to access cottage country and other destinations north of York Region.

As well, the existing discontinuities in the road network in this area, as represented by the abrupt ending of Highway 404 at Green lane and the lack of a highway connection between Highways 400 and 404, creates inefficient travel patterns and results in unnecessary and incompatible travel on Regional and local municipal roads. This is manifested in traffic congestion and traffic operational problems on Regional and local municipal roads north of the Towns of Newmarket and East Gwillimbury.

Report No. 3 of the Planning and Economic Development Committee Regional Council Meeting of March 27, 2008

Further, the shift in freight transport from being predominantly rail based to road based has intensified the need for a solution to allow goods movement from the Highway 400 corridor to the Highway 404 corridor and vice-versa. Currently, trucks are using Regional roads to make this connection throughout most of York Region.

MTO’s EA study identified that travel demand will exceed available capacity before 2021, even accounting for all planned road improvements including Highway 9. It also noted that the east-west travel demand is “comprised in large part of long distance north- south trips making a crossover between Highway 400 and (extended) Highway 404. These highway trips are a Provincial responsibility, and are distinct from locally- generated trips which may use a municipal road to access the provincial network.”

In addition to the traffic impacts on Regional and local roads, the lack of a east-west highway facility has limited the ability of the northern municipalities in York Region to attract commercial and industrial development investment.

Previous Provincial plans for a highway connection between Highways 400 and 404 north of Highway 407 were made several decades ago, prior to the approval of the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan and the Greenbelt Plan. However, the corridor through the middle of Richmond Hill was abandoned when development encroached into the unprotected corridor.

The Bradford Bypass is a logical component of a connected functional transportation system.

Implications of the Places to Grow and Greenbelt Legislation

The Places to Grow and Greenbelt Acts were approved by the Province in 2005. By default, these Provincial plans have identified the area around the communities of Holland Landing, Sharon and Queensville (“white belt”) and existing but undeveloped settlement lands in the Town of Georgina, as potential growth areas in northern York Region over the next 30 years and beyond. Preliminary forecasts indicate a range of population in the East Gwillimbury portions of north York Region between 75,000 - 90,000 persons - an increase of +/- 30,000 persons over the current ROP projections and employment of +/- 32,000 by 2031 - an increase of +/- 12,000 over the ROP projection.

The Provincial growth forecasts has York Region growing from it’s current population of 950,000 people at year-end 2007 to 1.5 million people and 780,000 jobs in 2031. Simcoe County, including , Orillia and Bradford-West Gwillimbury, which is not included in the Greenbelt Plan, has been forecasted to grow to 667,000 persons and 254,000 jobs by 2031 through the Provincial Growth Plan.

With increased forecasted population and employment growth in Simcoe County, these future conditions dictate that there will be much more travel from Simcoe County to or

Report No. 3 of the Planning and Economic Development Committee Regional Council Meeting of March 27, 2008

through York Region for work, recreational and institutional needs. Currently, there are only three transportation connections between Simcoe County and York Region, , Highway 400 and Highway 27. All three routes are congested during peak times today. There are no known Provincial or municipal plans to widen any of these routes. While the recent restoration of GO Rail service to Barrie will provide some relief, clearly, additional traffic capacity between Simcoe County and York Region needs to be provided, likely well before 2031. Simcoe County is conducting a Transportation Master Plan study and every indication suggests that this conclusion will be reached.

When the Bradford Bypass EA was conducted in the 1990’s, the growth projections for both northern York Region and Simcoe County were much lower. However, the need for the Bradford Bypass, even based on a lower forecasted population and employment was accepted and the route EA approved.

Implementation of Places to Grow and the Greenbelt Plan will therefore increase travel demand between Highways 400 and 404, thereby exacerbating the need for a highway link between Highways 400 and 404 in the period before 2031. Thus, to accommodate Places to Grow, the first step must be to restore the Bradford Bypass as a required infrastructure within the 2031 timeframe.

4.2 TO PROVIDE NECESSARY ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT THE GROWTH PLAN

Positive Impacts of the Bradford Bypass

A Provincial commitment to the Bradford Bypass economic corridor will present the following opportunities and benefits: • Opportunity to reduce the negative impacts of current and future travel demand in this corridor such as traffic congestion, noise, infiltration and collisions and the associated environmental effects of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants from unnecessary automobile travel. • Opportunity to implement the Growth Plan and address the infrastructure need of Provincially-mandated growth. The Bradford Bypass is essential to support the Provincial Growth Plan. • Opportunity to protect the “Controlled Access Highway” corridor further from encroaching development that is allowed under Places to Grow. • Opportunity to improve goods movement between York Region and Simcoe County. • Opportunity to improve growth management and land use planning in northern York Region and Simcoe County through such initiatives as the on-going East Gwillimbury Official Plan Review and growth management study. • A potential to improve the attraction for commercial and industrial development investment in northern York Region and Simcoe County and improve the opportunity for local residents to find work within their communities, thereby reducing the need for long distance travel to distant employment.

Report No. 3 of the Planning and Economic Development Committee Regional Council Meeting of March 27, 2008

Actions Taken by York Region

As previously indicated, York Region’s 2002 Transportation Master Plan as well as MTO’s EA study confirmed the need for the Bradford Bypass by 2021. In addition, the TMP also recommended improvements to the Regional road network in the area. This Master Plan is currently under review and update, but given generally higher growth forecasts for York Region and the adjacent municipalities, there is every reason to expect that the need for this facility will be stronger and that it will be needed earlier.

York Region has already taken significant steps to improve the transportation system in this area. They include: • Construction of a 4-lane high capacity arterial connection between Highways 400 and 404 using Highway 9, Bathurst Street and Green Lane to serve as an interim east-west facility prior to the construction of the Bradford Bypass. • Created the conditions for the construction of this high capacity arterial connection through a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Transportation for the extension of Highway 404 to Green Lane in exchange for the transfer of Highway 9 east of Highway 400 to York Region. • Major improvements to several arterial to arterial road intersections.

The cost to York Region from these initiatives was about $42 million.

As noted earlier, the lack of an expressway connection between Highways 400 and 404 has created traffic congestion and traffic operational problems on Regional roads, which is being forced to serve a function that it is not designed to do. An example of this is the traffic issues on the Davis Drive – Highway 9 combination, which provides one of the arterial connections between Highways 400 and 404. A February 6, 2008 report to the Transportation and Works Committee highlights the traffic speeding, capacity and safety issues being experienced on this Regional corridor, requiring Regional actions and costs to alleviate those issues.

In addition, York Region has programmed a number of road improvements to be carried out over the next 10 years to provide additional traffic capacity. The projects in the 10- year road capital plan include: • Bathurst Street from Green Lane to Yonge Street • Second Concession from Green Lane to Doane Road • Queensville Sideroad from Woodbine Avenue to Bathurst Street • Doane Road from Woodbine Avenue to Old Yonge Street, including an with the extension of Highway 404 • Highway 9 – Bathurst Street intersection

Thus, York Region has and is continuing to do its part to improve the transportation network in the area between Newmarket and Keswick.

Report No. 3 of the Planning and Economic Development Committee Regional Council Meeting of March 27, 2008

Actions Required by the Province

Given the current planning context created by the Provincial Growth Plan, the need for the Bradford Bypass within the 2031 horizon has become more critical. The Bradford Bypass is needed to handle existing travel demand as well as to support the increased travel demand resulting from the higher growth projections in the vicinity of the Bypass.

Staff recommends Provincial actions in the following areas: • Include the approved Bradford Bypass alignment in Provincial Plans prior to the 2014 review date specified in the enabling legislation. • Direct Provincial staff to work with York Region and other municipal jurisdictions to incorporate the Bradford Bypass into Regional and local municipal Official Plans. • Develop a schedule to move the Bradford Bypass towards implementation.

5. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

There is no financial implication resulting from this report.

6. LOCAL MUNICIPAL IMPACT

Fully designating and protecting the Bradford Bypass will allow the Town of East Gwillimbury and York Region to prepare more complete and effective plans for future growth in the “white belt” area surrounding Holland Landing, Sharon and Queensville and in existing and expanded settlement areas in the Town of Georgina.

Industrial and commercial developments will be attracted, creating jobs, and more complete community plans can be developed in East Gwillimbury and Georgina once the Bradford Bypass is officially recognized. This will improve the environment for more live-work opportunities within these municipalities and lessen the need for its residents to travel long distance to employment areas in the south.

7. CONCLUSION

The need for a Provincial facility linking Highways 400 and 404 in the northern part of York Region has been identified as being required since the late 1970’s. The Bradford Bypass is a logical component of a connected functional transportation system.

Current Provincial growth projections for York Region and Simcoe County have reinforced the need for the Bradford Bypass. However, the Provincial Growth Plan has

Report No. 3 of the Planning and Economic Development Committee Regional Council Meeting of March 27, 2008

excluded the Bradford Bypass from consideration without providing an alternative and without a comprehensive assessment of the transportation implications of this exclusion.

Staff recommends that Regional Council request the Regional Chair to advocate for Provincial actions on the Bradford Bypass including adding it to the Provincial Growth Plan and working with York Region on an implementation schedule.

For more information on this report, please contact Loy Cheah, Manager, Transportation Planning at Ext. 5024, or Paul May, Director, Infrastructure Planning at Ext. 5029.

The Senior Management Group has reviewed this report.

(The attachment referred to in this clause is included with this report.)