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+--- Thread: Highway 7 - Kitchener to Guelph (/showthread.php?tid=225)
RE: Highway 7 - Kitchener to Guelph - Drake - 03-20-2015
I went to the Guelph Costco last night for the first time. I was surprised to see all the large newly built single family homes along Elmira Rd. I note there will be an exit ramp for this road as well. It looks like poor planning to me. Why would you want to live along such a large and busy traffic corridor? It is wide enough to get to 4 lanes easily and 6 with little imagination.
It looked so odd. Like big homes along Homer Watson or Fischer Hallman here.. why?
RE: Highway 7 - Kitchener to Guelph - gomesjustin - 03-20-2015
I've driven down Elmira Rd. plenty of times, and it does feel odd. I seriously do not see them widening to 4 lanes, or increasing to 60km+, that would just be a disaster. For residents and motorists.
RE: Highway 7 - Kitchener to Guelph - The85 - 03-21-2015
(03-20-2015, 04:06 PM)Drake Wrote: I went to the Guelph Costco last night for the first time. I was surprised to see all the large newly built single family homes along Elmira Rd. I note there will be an exit ramp for this road as well. It looks like poor planning to me. Why would you want to live along such a large and busy traffic corridor? It is wide enough to get to 4 lanes easily and 6 with little imagination.
It looked so odd. Like big homes along Homer Watson or Fischer Hallman here.. why?
Most of these houses on Elmira Road were part of a subdivision that was draft plan approved and rezoned in the 1980s, but not built until the last 5-10 years. Under current policies in Guelph's Official Plan, this type of planning would not be supported today.
RE: Highway 7 - Kitchener to Guelph - Drake - 04-02-2015
All land purchased for new Highway 7
Waterloo Region Record
By Vik Kirsch
2 April 2015
GUELPH — Properties the province needs to construct the new Highway 7 between Guelph and Kitchener have been purchased.
"However, we have agreements with several former property owners and tenants to stay longer in their buildings on a case-by-case basis, and where it won't impact the construction schedule," Ministry of Transportation communications co-ordinator Liane Fisher wrote Wednesday in an email. About $70 million was expected to be spent acquiring 87 properties.
Once work begins, the new 18-kilometre highway corridor is expected to take five construction seasons to finish.
Fisher said Wednesday advance construction begins shortly in Kitchener, including widening the Guelph Street bridge. Guelph Street will be closed under Highway 85, the north-south expressway, between the middle of May and beginning of October. Utility relocations at Victoria Street are to be done between the fall and 2016.
Shirley Avenue is to be extended next year, with lane reductions planned.
In Guelph, the ministry needed to accumulate land to extend the Hanlon Parkway north so it can link with a new Highway 7 connecting to Kitchener's east side.
One of the affected properties is Royal City Nursery on Woodlawn Road. It has relocated about 60 metres and had its grand opening Wednesday.
Having the property expropriated puts to an end to speculation over redevelopment of the highway link, so the nursery and other property owners can get on with their lives.
"Ultimately, to me it's sad," said Tanya Olsen, whose family has run the nursery for three generations. But the relocation opens up opportunities for growth and expansion, which intrigues her.
"I'm really excited by the opportunity."
Royal City Nursery was founded in 1962 by John and Elsebeth Olsen. Son Peter and his spouse, Doreen, took over in 1986. Daughters Tanya Olsen, operations manager, and Leah Olsen-Kent, floral manager, later came on board.
With Tanya now taking the helm at the new site at 305 Woodlawn Rd. W., Leah is opening her own floral shop, called "Fleuristic," at 739 Woolwich St.
"We are not closing; we have moved literally 200 feet to the west," Tanya Olsen said of the leased space. She's expanding into specialized services such as pruning, but not lawn care.
While her parents are spending more time with family, they'll still continue to play a role at Royal City Nursery, she added.
RE: Highway 7 - Kitchener to Guelph - Canard - 04-02-2015
Sounds like great news! But the timing is still very confusing - I keep reading "it hasn't started yet" or "it's planned", but all these articles make it sound like it's actually happening.
RE: Highway 7 - Kitchener to Guelph - panamaniac - 04-02-2015
(04-02-2015, 12:16 PM)Canard Wrote: Sounds like great news! But the timing is still very confusing - I keep reading "it hasn't started yet" or "it's planned", but all these articles make it sound like it's actually happening.
Construction is to begin this year and the project will be completed in 2019 or 2020.
RE: Highway 7 - Kitchener to Guelph - Markster - 04-02-2015
It has started. What they started was property acquisition. With that complete, they will start to move on to construction itself within the next year.
RE: Highway 7 - Kitchener to Guelph - dunkalunk - 04-02-2015
This year, they'll be doing a lot of utility relocation and pre-construction work, but it's definitely happening.
![[Image: 7drHiqr.gif]](http://i.imgur.com/7drHiqr.gif)
RE: Highway 7 - Kitchener to Guelph - Canard - 04-02-2015
Then why do all the news articles read "could take 5 years once it starts" or "planned" or whatever? They all give the impression that this isn't a sure-thing yet.
RE: Highway 7 - Kitchener to Guelph - clasher - 04-02-2015
'Cos we live in a province that once filled in a subway that was under construction.
RE: Highway 7 - Kitchener to Guelph - isUsername - 04-02-2015
It probably comes down to whether the design-build contract has been issued yet. Anyone know any info on that?
RE: Highway 7 - Kitchener to Guelph - Smore - 04-03-2015
advance utility relocation has been happening under the Guelph St overpass since last fall, if that helps...
RE: Highway 7 - Kitchener to Guelph - KevinL - 04-04-2015
One of the big takeaways here, I think, is that Wellington/Shirley will finally become more of a proper arterial. Not only will the connection between those roads be straightened, a new connecting road (Bruce St extended north) will associate it more closely to Victoria. It's good to see traffic flow will be improved on the local scale as part of this.
RE: Highway 7 - Kitchener to Guelph - Chris - 05-27-2015
(04-04-2015, 10:09 AM)KevinL Wrote: One of the big takeaways here, I think, is that Wellington/Shirley will finally become more of a proper arterial. Not only will the connection between those roads be straightened, a new connecting road (Bruce St extended north) will associate it more closely to Victoria. It's good to see traffic flow will be improved on the local scale as part of this.
Just wondering, if Edna is connecting to the southbound expressway off ramp on the north side of Wellington where do the people that work at Christie park? This is going to cut their parking lot in half.
Are Bruce and Edna going to be level crossings at the train tracks or is everything elevated?
RE: Highway 7 - Kitchener to Guelph - jamincan - 05-27-2015
Bruce and Edna will be grade separated from the CN tracks, as will the ramps to Hwy 7. The Christie lot is going to become significantly smaller. A detailed map of the interchange is available on the first page of this thread.
I wonder if the new bridge structures will be constructed as a single span or not. With the changes to the Wellington/Victoria interchange planned, four carriageways seems unnecessary and the ROW would be significantly enlarged by eliminating the separation.