harvie road/big baypoint road/highway 400 c e … hall/environmental... · 1.4 the project team...

HARVIE ROAD/BIG BAY POINT ROAD/HIGHWAY 400CLASS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT STUDY

F I N A L D R A F TP H A S E 1 A N D P H A S E 2E N V I R O N M E N T A L S T U D Y R E P O R T

M O R R I S O N H E R S H F I E L D L I M I T E D235 YORKLAND BOULEVARD, SUITE 600TORONTO, ONTARIO, M2J 1T1TEL: (416) 499-3110FAX: (416) 499-9658

JANUARY 24, 2012

Harvie Road/Big Bay Point Road/Highway 400 Transportation ImprovementsMunicipal Class Environmental AssessmentPhases 1 & 2 Environmental Study Report

Morrison Hershfield Limited i

TABLE OF CONTENT

1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND .......................................................................................... 1

1.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 11.2 PROJECT BACKGROUND .............................................................................................................. 21.3 PROJECT SCOPE ........................................................................................................................ 21.4 THE PROJECT TEAM ................................................................................................................... 31.5 THE CLASS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT PROCESS .................................................................... 31.6 THE KEY PROJECT MILESTONES .................................................................................................. 4

2 PROBLEM OR OPPORTUNITY ...................................................................................................... 62.1 ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED .......................................................................................................... 62.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT ................................................................................................................ 6

3 PROJECT ENVIRONMENT ............................................................................................................. 7

3.1 LAND USE.................................................................................................................................. 73.2 ROAD NETWORK ........................................................................................................................ 73.3 EXISTING TRAFFIC OPERATIONS .................................................................................................. 93.4 EMERGENCY SERVICES ............................................................................................................... 93.5 TRANSIT SERVICE....................................................................................................................... 93.6 SAFETY ..................................................................................................................................... 93.7 ACCESS TO EXISTING PROPERTY .................................................................................................. 93.8 NATURAL ENVIRONMENT ........................................................................................................... 103.9 ARCHAEOLOGY, HERITAGE AND CULTURAL ................................................................................. 123.10 NOISE ..................................................................................................................................... 123.11 SOIL CONDITIONS ..................................................................................................................... 133.12 SITE GEOLOGY AND SUBSURFACE CONDITIONS ........................................................................... 143.13 GROUNDWATER CONDITIONS ..................................................................................................... 153.14 UTILITIES AND SERVICES ........................................................................................................... 163.15 SERVICE CENTRE ..................................................................................................................... 163.16 RAIL ........................................................................................................................................ 163.17 ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT ......................................................................................................... 16

4 ALTERNATIVES AND EVALUATION ........................................................................................... 18

4.1 ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS.......................................................................................................... 184.2 PRE-SCREENING OF ALTERNATIVES ........................................................................................... 194.3 ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS ............................................................. 19

5 TRAFFIC ANALYSIS..................................................................................................................... 21

5.1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 215.2 EVALUATION OF THREE SCENARIOS USING AIMSUN MICRO-SIMULATION MODEL APPROACH............. 215.3 EVALUATION BY MORRISON HERSHFIELD USING EMME 3 MODEL.................................................. 215.4 WEAVING ANALYSIS .................................................................................................................. 225.5 EVALUATION BY IBI USING EMME 3 MODEL ................................................................................ 235.6 TRAFFIC ANALYSIS DISCUSSION ................................................................................................. 24

6 CONSULTATION (PUBLIC INFORMATION CENTRE #1) ............................................................. 257 EVALUATION & ASSESSMENT OF DESIGN PLANNING SOLUTIONS ....................................... 56

7.1 DISCUSSION............................................................................................................................. 64

8 RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................................................................. 658.1 PRELIMINARY PREFERRED PLANNING SOLUTION .......................................................................... 65


Morrison Hershfield Limited 1

1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

1.1 Introduction

The Corporation of the City of Barrie is undertaking this Study that is consistent with theMunicipal Class Environmental Assessment (Class EA) process to identify and assess therequired transportation improvements to Harvie Road and Big Bay Point Road in the area ofHighway 400. The Study is reassessing Phase 2 (Alternative Solutions) of the Class EAprocess to consider the potential for a highway crossing or an interchange at approximatelywhere Harvie Road and Big Bay Point Road crosses the Highway 400. Figure 1-1 illustrates thestudy area.

On January 1, 2010, 2,293 hectares of land was annexed in the south end of Barrie betweenCounty Road 27 and Yonge Street.

Figure 1-1: Study Limits

Study Area



1.2 Project Background

The City of Barrie has completed Phases 1 and 2 of a Class EA for Harvie Road / Big Bay PointRoad / Highway 400 as part of a larger EA that examined all of the Highway 400 Crossings inBarrie. The Council, as per Motion 05-G-343, approved seven lanes crossing under/overHighway 400 connecting Harvie Road to Big Bay Point Road.

The Bryne Drive MP, completed in December 2005, identified the potential for an interchange inthe study area and noted that the proposed interchange will affect the proposed alignment ofBryne Drive. The Bryne Drive MP is currently being updated and is examining alignmentsfurther west. The preferred alternative, approved by Council by Motion 06-G-005 in December2005, is a five lane roadway.

In 2006, the Harvie Road/Big Bay Point Road Feasibility Interchange Study was conducted byTSH (now Aecom) with input from the City of Barrie and The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) toreview the feasibility of providing a new interchange on Highway 400 at the Harvie Road/BigBay Point Road crossing. This report was never finalized but the draft report suggested that anew interchange on Highway 400 was feasible and examined several different interchangeconfigurations.

The MTO has completed a Planning and Preliminary Design Study and recommendedtransportation improvements to address traffic operation, capacity, and safety needs associatedwith the Highway 400 corridor through Barrie. This study identifies that Highway 400 mayultimately be widened to eight lanes at Harvie and Big Bay Point Road. MTO is in the process ofinitiating updates to this study.

A Class EA has been completed for Harvie Road between Bryne Drive and Essa Road and thepreferred design alternative, approved by Council by Motion 02-G-534, is a four lane roadway.

A Class EA has been completed for Whiskey Creek in October 2009. The preferred alternativecalls for regional storm conveyance under Highway 400, Bryne Drive and Harvie Road and wasapproved by Council by Motion 09-G-418.

1.3 Project Scope

The overall objective of this report is to document the planning process for the proposedtransportation improvements in the study area. The objectives of this report are as follows:

Identify the problem or opportunity; Identify alternative planning solutions to the problem or opportunity; Perform an inventory of the physical, social / cultural, natural, and economic

environment; Identify impacts of the alternative solutions on the environment and provide mitigating

measures; Evaluate alternative solutions and identify recommended solutions; Consult the reviewing agencies and the public regarding the problem or opportunity and

alternative solutions; and Select preferred solution.

If the preferred alternative determines that a crossing and/or interchange is required at HarvieRoad/Big Bay Point Road, the EA will advance to Phases 3 and 4 and consider designalternatives for the preferred alternative.



1.4 The Project Team

Morrison Hershfield Limited (MH) was retained by the City of Barrie to undertake the Class EAfor the transportation improvements at Harvie Road/Big Bay Point Road and Highway 400. TheProject Team is outlined in Table 1-1.

Table 1-1 - Project Team

Proponent: City of Barrie

Ralph Scheunemann Project Manager

Moin Khan Project Manager

Leonard Borgdorff Engineering

Steve Rose Traffic

Geoff Mitchinson Operations (Rail)Mike Nugent Engineering (Rail)

Ministry: Ministry of Transportation

Michael Sit Project Manager

Peter Dorton Corridor Management

Stephen Lamptey Traffic

Jeanne-Marie Deletsu Planning

Primary Consultant: Morrison Hershfield LimitedJohn Grebenc Project Manager

Carmela Gemmiti Roadway EngineeringAli Mekky TrafficEdward Li StructuralFarooq Arshad Drainage/SWM

Paul Draycott Natural Environment andFisheries

1.5 The Class Environmental Assessment Process

The Environmental Assessment Act of Ontario

The Environmental Assessment Act of Ontario (EAA) provides for the protection, conservation,and wise management of the environment in Ontario. The EAA applies to municipalities and toactivities including municipal road projects. Activities with common characteristics and commonpotential effects may be assessed as part of a “class” and are therefore approved subject tocompliance with the pre-approved Class EA process.



The Class Environmental Assessment Process

The Municipal Class EA is an approved Class EA process that applies to municipalinfrastructure projects including roads, water, and wastewater. The Municipal Class EA outlinesa comprehensive planning process as follows:

Phase 1: Identify Problem and Opportunity;

Phase 2: Identification of alternatives (including “Do Nothing”);

Phase 3: Examine Alternative Design Concepts for the Preferred Alternative Solution;

Phase 4: Prepare and File Environmental Study report; and

Phase 5: Proceed to Detailed Design, Construction, and Operation.

This Study encompasses Phases 1 and 2 of the Class EA process, which involve: Analysis andevaluation of the effects on the environment including physical, social/cultural, natural, andeconomic for each alternative; Consultation with technical agencies and public throughout theprocess and; Determination of a preferred alternative and associated mitigation measures.Phases 3 and 4 may follow this study to complete the EA.

The EA process provides a comprehensive planning approach to consider several alternativesolutions and evaluate their impact on a set of criteria (e.g. physical, natural, socio-economical,cultural, economic) and determine any mitigating measures to arrive at a preferred alternativefor addressing the problem (or opportunity). The Municipal Class EA is an approved planningprocess that describes the process that must be followed to meet the requirements of theOntario EA Act. Providing the Class EA planning process is followed, a proponent does nothave to apply for formal approval under the EA Act. The Municipal Class EA process is shownon Figure 1-2.

1.6 The Key Project Milestones

The study was initiated in October 2009. Over the last year traffic analysis such as macro andmicro modeling has been done as well as a review of background documents and fieldinvestigations. The key project milestones to date are as follows:

Notice of Study Commencement November 5 & 6, 2010

Meeting with MTO October 20, 2010

PIC Notice Mailed October 29, 2010.

Advertised November 11, 12 & 13, 2010

Public Information Centre #1 November 17, 2010

Notice of Study Commencement

During this study, a Notice of Study Commencement was advertised in the Barrie Examiner onNovember 5 & 6. A copy of the Notice of Study Commencement is included in Appendix A.This notice described the purpose of the study, the need for improvements and the proposedalternative solutions.

Harvie Road/Big Bay Point Road/Highway 400 Transportation ImprovementsMunicipal Class Environmental Assessment


Figure 1-2 - Municipal Class Environmental Assessment Design and Planning Process

We Are Here



2 PROBLEM OR OPPORTUNITY

The City of Barrie has developed into its present form through population growth andannexation. The City has grown from the City Centre and north shore of Kempenfelt Baysoutherly, around the west side of the bay encompassing Allandale, Painswick and morerecently, the area between Essa Road and Mapleview Drive along Highway 400.

The impetus for this study is to meet the existing and future travel demand in the growingresidential, industrial and commercial areas in the south end of Barrie between Mapleview Driveand Essa Road. The City recognizes that to meet the transportation needs associated withexisting and future growth, improvements to the transportation infrastructure are necessary.

2.1 Issues to be Addressed

The City of Barrie currently has two major highway 400 interchanges in the south end of Barrienamely Mapleview Drive and Essa Road. Both Mapleview Drive and Essa Road are currentlyexperiencing delays during the peak hours, particularly in the area of Highway 400 rampterminals. As developments expand and traffic volumes increase delays on Mapleview Driveand Essa Road will continue to increase and eventually may affect the mainline operation ofHighway 400.

The alignments of the on-ramps of a potential new interchange at Harvie & Big Bay Point Roadmay constitute weaving conflict for the existing MTO Service Centre (currently beingredeveloped) north of the proposed interchange. This conflict will be of prime concern in thestudy with respect to safe operations of proposed highway interchange alternative. The,weaving conflicts at Harvie E-N Ramp with the Essa S-EW ramp also need to be reviewed.Lastly, the potential conflicts to and from the Mapleview Drive interchange should also beexamined.

On the west side of Highway 400 there is an existing on-line pond on Whiskey Creek, also knownas Pond A, which provides quantity and Level 2 quality control, for storm events up to, andincluding, the 100-year. Any loss of storage between the pond and Highway 400 resulting fromthe construction of the proposed Highway 400 interchange or the proposed Harvie Roadunderpass will have to consider the downstream effects resulting from loss of storage and a dam-break of Pond A.

2.2 Problem Statement

The Problem Statement, which sets the framework for this Class EA, is as follows:

“That existing traffic and infrastructure deficiencies be corrected in an environmentally friendlymanner that also meets future transportation needs.”

The City of Barrie is undertaking this project in response to the problems and complaintsassociated with the congested transportation system in the south end of Barrie. Proposedtransportation improvements will result in an opportunity to correct existing infrastructuredeficiencies, provide better connectivity and accessibility, and allow for future growth.



3 PROJECT ENVIRONMENTThis section provides a description of the physical, social/cultural, natural and economicenvironment of the proposed study area. A combination of field investigation, review of existingengineering drawings and impacts, traffic studies, natural environment studies, andarchaeological study established this inventory.

3.1 Land Use

Most of the land in the study area is not developed. The old Molson plant building has beendemolished.

West of Highway 400, the area is primarily designed as “general industrial” with Whiskey Creeklocated within an environmental protection area. Lands adjacent to Harvie Road are designatedas Industrial and Commercial east of Thurshwood Drive.

3.2 Road Network

Harvie Road and Big Bay Point Road are under the jurisdiction of the City of Barrie. Highway400 is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transportation Ontario.

Highway 400

Highway 400 is a north-south 6-lane provincial highway under the jurisdiction of the Ministry ofTransportation, Ontario. It has a posted speed of 100 km/h and includes a diamond interchangeat Mapleview Drive and a Parclo A-4/A-2 interchange at Essa Road. Given potential growth intraffic in the area MTO has completed a Class EA to widen Highway 400 to 8 lanes within thestudy area.

Transportation improvements are being implemented by Park Place for the Highway 400 offramps at Mapleview Drive (4 lanes).

Mapleview Drive

Mapleview Drive is an east-west arterial road under the jurisdiction of the City of Barrie. It has aposted speed limit of 60 km/h and has a 6-lane urban cross section. There are currently 8signalized intersections located between Veterans Drive in the west and Bayview Drive in theeast, including the signalized intersection at the two diamond interchange ramp terminals withHighway 400.

Transportation improvements are being implemented by Park Place on Mapleview Drive. Pleaserefer to Appendix E.

Harvie Road

Harvie Road is an east-west arterial road under the jurisdiction of the City of Barrie. It includesa 2-lane rural cross section and has a posted speed of 50 km/h. Harvie Road currentlyterminates just west of Highway 400.

Four lanes have been approved by Council as part of the Harvie Road Class EA from BryneDrive to Essa Road.



Big Bay Point Road

Big Bay Point Road is an east-west arterial road under the jurisdiction of the City of Barrie. Ithas a 2-lane rural cross section and has a posted speed limit of 50 km/h. As Big Bay PointRoad approaches Highway 400 from the east, it curves northward and continues as FairviewRoad parallel to Highway 400 east of the Service Centre.

The City of Barrie’s 1999 Transportation Study calls for widening Big Bay Point Road to 5 laneseast of Bayview Drive. The City of Barrie’s Highway 400 crossing EA calls for widening HarvieRoad and Big Bay Point Road to 7 lanes from Bryne Drive to Bayview Drive.

Essa Road

Essa Road is an arterial road under the jurisdiction of the City of Barrie that runs generally fromsouth-south-west to north-north-east. It consists of a 4-lane cross-section and has a postedspeed limit of 50 km/h. Signalized intersections are provided at the two ramp terminalintersection of the interchange with Highway 400.

The Essa Road Class EA Study is currently in Phases 3 and 4 of the EA process. The City ofBarrie Highway 400 crossing EA calls for widening Essa Road by one lane in each direction inthe vicinity of Highway 400.

Bryne Drive

Bryne Drive is a north-south major collector under the jurisdiction of the City of Barrie. Itprovides 5-lanes between Commerce Park Drive South and Essa Road and currently terminatesnorth of Caplan Drive and south of Essa Road with a gap in the Harvie Road area.

The Bryne Drive Class EA approved by Council in 2006, calls for five lanes between CaplanDrive South and Essa Road.

Fairview Road

Fairview Road is a 2-lane north-south arterial road under the jurisdiction of the City of Barrie. Ithas a posted speed limit of 50 km/h and extends from the west limit of Big Bay Point Road toEssa Road.

The City of Barrie’s 1999 Transportation Study calls for widening Fairview Road to 4 lanes fromLittle Avenue to Big Bay Point Road.

Bayview Drive

Bayview Drive is a north-south major collector under the jurisdiction of the City of Barrie. It hasa posted speed limit of 50 km/h and includes a 4-lane cross section to a point north ofMapleview Drive where it tapers down to a 2-lane cross-section.

Park Place will be widening Bayview Drive to five lanes from Big Bay Point Road to MapleviewDrive. Bayview Drive south of Big Bay Point Road is currently being widened to 5 lanes.



3.3 Existing Traffic Operations

The Highway 400 Planning and Preliminary Design Study completed in May 2005 indicated thatthe length of Highway 400 within the study area would operate at LOS “D” by 2006 and eightlanes will be required on the Highway through the study area to Essa Road. The study alsoindicated that the intersection of Essa Road and Fairview Drive was operating at capacity duringthe peak hours.

The study predicted that all ramp junctions at the Essa Road interchange would fail by 2011,resulting in unstable flow and significant reduction in speed on the freeway. The signalizedintersection at Essa Road/Fairview Road was expected to fail by 2006 and all intersectionswithin the interchange would operate undesirably by 2011. However, since the study, thesouthbound off-ramp has been widened from two to three lanes.

Similarly, all ramp junctions at Mapleview Drive (formerly referred as the Molson Park DriveInterchange in the Highway 400 Planning Study) would fail by 2011, with the exception of theE/W-S junction, which would operate at LOS “D”. However, since the study, both off ramps atMapleview Drive have been widened from two to four lanes.

An updated existing traffic analysis is to be conducted in Phases 3 and 4 of this EA Study,which will confirm the forecasted traffic and operational issues from the Highway 400 Planningand Preliminary Design Study.

3.4 Emergency Services

Emergency Police and Ambulance vehicles currently access the study area mainly from either,the existing Essa Road / Highway 400 interchange, or the Mapleview Drive / Highway 400interchange. Fire Station 4 is located on Ardagh Road, west of Ferndale Drive.

3.5 Transit Service

Presently, there is a single bus route on Bryne Drive between Caplan Avenue and CommercePark Drive (south intersection). The future plan is to extend this service to Essa Road. There arealso transit routes on Bayview Drive between Mapleview Drive and Little Avenue.

3.6 Safety

There is a history of mostly traffic congestion complaints for the area adjacent to Mapleview Drive.Winter safety complaints, in terms of slippery conditions, can be addressed with greater prioritygiven to sanding, salting and ploughing. The City of Barrie has invested in a second AdvanceRoad Weather Information Tower in South Barrie on Yonge Street south of Ashford Drive that willbetter assess and predict road weather and winter maintenance needs throughout the Study Areaand beyond.

3.7 Access to existing property

Access to existing properties will be maintained. Access configuration will depend on proposedplans for property development. The Molson Brewery Plant that was located on the east side ofHighway 400 and on the south side of Big Bay Point Road and has recently been demolished.Depending on the plans for the development of the site, access can be provided in the HarvieRoad / Big Bay Point Road corridor for any of the proposed transportation improvements.



The Phases 3 and 4 of the Class EA will examine the need for medians, which may affect someof the turning movements at the existing access points on Big Bay Point Road and Harvie Roadin the study area.

3.8 Natural Environment

Whiskey Creek

Whiskey Creek flows through the study area in an easterly direction across Harvie Road,Highway 400 and Fairview Avenue then discharges to Kempenfelt Bay at Minet’s Point. Theheadwater of Whiskey Creek is located just west of Highway 400. The creek flows from west toeast for approximately 5250m prior to out-letting into Kempenfelt Bay adjacent to Minet’s PointPark.

Within the Harvie Road study corridor, the stream is approximately 0.8m wide and the riparianarea is covered by grasses with sumac and some poplar growth. Watercress was also seenalong the stream. Downstream of Highway 400, where the stream crosses Fairview Road, itpasses through a heavily wooded area and is wider (up to 3.0m). Whiskey Creek is consideredto have a riffle/run/pool configuration with substrates dominated by gravel and sand. Some fishcover is provided by woody debris, undercut banks and overhanging terrestrial vegetation.Seasonal migratory barriers were noted at the Fairview Road culvert due to debris jams.

The areas examined fall within Reaches 5 and 6 of Whiskey Creek, as designated by AzimuthEnvironmental Consulting Inc. (R.G. Robinson and Associates (Barrie) Ltd., 2002) as part of theWhiskey Creek Master Drainage Plan. Watercress was observed upstream of Harvie Road,indicating groundwater inputs to the watercourse. Whiskey Creek, between Highway 400 andHarvie Road, was described by Azimuth as having an incised creek channel with substratesdominated by cobble, gravel, sand and woody debris. Between Highway 400 and FairviewRoad, the creek was not considered to sustain a resident fish population. AzimuthEnvironmental Consulting Inc. identified an accumulation of sand and debris at the outlet of theculverts that discharge to Whiskey Creek from the Highway 400 east embankment.Approximately 50 m downstream of Fairview Road, surface flow was noted to withdraw into thesandy substrate, which was considered to be a groundwater recharge zone (R.G. Robinson andAssociates, 2002).

As indicated in the MTO Highway 400 Harvey Road / Big Bay Point Road InterchangeFeasibility Study, Whiskey Creek currently crosses Highway 400 through a 1.2 x 0.9 concreteculvert from a south-west to north-east direction.

The Whiskey Creek Master Drainage Plan Update is available online by doing a keywordsearch on the city of Barrie web page at www.barrie.ca for “class ea” and clicking on thefirst check-marked result then scrolling down to the section related to this Class EA.

Terrestrial Habitat

From the City of Barrie Highway 400 Crossing Roads Class EA Phase 1 and 2 Report (June2005), east of Highway 400, Big Bay Point Road bisects a wooded area containing speciessuch as Red Oak, White Ash, White Pine, Sugar Maple, White Birch, and Black Cherry. Alsoalong this road are specimen trees in and/or adjacent to the road right-of-way. These treesinclude White Pine, Austrian Pine and Manitoba Maple.

http://www.barrie.ca/



From the City of Barrie Highway 400 Crossing Roads Class EA Phase 1 and 2 Report (June2005), west of Highway 400 is Harvie Road and this section differs from Big Bay Point Roadbecause it has a more rural character. Along this road, there are specimen trees andhedgerows, in addition to the edges of many clumps of trees or small wooded areas. Species inthis area include White Pine, Sugar Maple, White Ash, Red Oak, Balsam Poplar and WhiteBirch. A site visit was completed for Butternut Trees by Morrison Hershfield’s arborist andcertified butternut health assessor on March 6, 2010. No butternut trees were observed in thearea of the Highway 400 crossing west of Highway 400. Butternut trees were noted by the Cityof Barrie and residents in the woodlot east of Fairview Drive and north of Big Bay Point Roadbut are more than 25m beyond the expected grading limits of the proposed alternatives, thusbeyond the area for mitigation or requiring an MNR permit. Exhibit 4 included in Appendix Gshows the locations of the trees that are to be confirmed as butternut trees. A further review forButternut trees is proposed to review the present preferred alternative when the Phases 3 and 4EA are completed, which will include a potential interchange location. The full area has not beenassessed for Butternut trees as the alternatives have and may evolve in the future.

Fisheries and Wildlife

Azimuth Environmental Consulting Inc. completed a fish sampling investigation throughout thewatershed as part of the 2001 Master Watershed Plan study with assistance provided by theMinistry of Natural Resources. Results indicate that Whiskey Creek is a cold water system thatsupports brook trout and mottled sculpin, from Lackie’s Bush downstream. Both species arekey indicators of water quality, and are highly susceptible to thermal fluctuations and turbidity.Fish sampling was completed at a total of six sites downstream of Highway 400 to the outlet ofLake Simcoe. Sampling results indicate that brook trout adults and YOY (young of the year) arepresent from Lackie’s Bush downstream to Lake Simcoe, indicating that Whiskey Creeksupports a self-sustaining trout population within the City of Barrie, downstream of BayviewDrive. Due to the intermittent nature of the watercourse upstream of Lackie’s Bush, fishsampling of the headwaters could only be completed between Harvie Road and Highway 400,however no fish we sampled or observed during the exploratory assessment at this station. Nofish have been observed upstream of Harvie Road during previous field investigations of thestudy area.

Fish are currently unable to access the headwaters of Whiskey Creek upstream from Lackie’sBush at Bayview Drive. A large tiered gabion basket causeway located at the Radio Shackproperty conveys intermittent flow from a channelized reach of Whiskey Creek extendingupstream to the Bayview Drive culvert crossing. The structure is approximately 80m long and3m high creating a large impassable barrier to fish movement. The detailed Whiskey Creek SiteIdentification Summaries can be found in Appendix I.

The Whiskey Creek Watershed is about 60% urbanized. However, the only significant area ofnatural land is located outside of the study area. Notwithstanding, most of the creek iscontained within natural valley sections. The ultimate development of the watershed indicatedthe watershed probably won’t support large numbers of wildlife habitat except within Lackie'sBush and natural valley creek sections where favourable habitat for songbirds and smallmammals exist. Additionally, it is likely that urban animals such as small rodents, birds,squirrels etc. can be supported within the watershed itself.



3.9 Archaeology, Heritage and Cultural

A Stage 1 Archaeological Assessment was conducted for this project in order to identify thearchaeological potential for the location for any Native and Euro-Canadian archaeological sitesthat may be impacted by proposed highway and road improvements of this study. The Stage 1study included a broad area from 200 metres west of a proposed extension of Bryne Drive toBayview Drive and from 350 metres north of Harvie/ Big Bay Point Road to 400 metres south.The proposed improvements involve a realignment of Harvie Road and Big Bay Point Road andpotential new Highway 400 ramps for both northbound and southbound traffic. Part of theproject is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transportation and part is under the jurisdictionof the City of Barrie. The archaeological assessment recommended that the undisturbed landsalong both the north and south sides of Harvie Road and Big Point Road to be subject to aStage 2 archaeological assessment by a licensed archaeologist using the appropriate methodsdescribed in the SGCA 2011 prior to any construction impacts. However, the existing right-of-way of Harvie Road, Big Bay Road and Highway 400 were found to be intensively andextensively disturbed and no further assessment is required. In addition, the area around theformer Molson brewery and associated rail spur is intensively and extensively disturbed and nofurther assessment is required. The Stage 1 Archaeological Assessment Report is attached inAppendix H.

In general, it is recommended that:

1. Prior to any land disturbance, all lands currently under or formerly under agriculturalproduction should be subjected to a Stage 2 archaeological assessment in accordancewith the Stage 1-3 archaeological assessment technical guidelines provided by theMTCR. All land should be ploughed and allowed to weather through at least onesignificant rainfall, then pedestrian surveyed at five metre intervals to facilitate therecovery of archaeological material. Woodlots or areas containing scrub brush shouldbe test pitted at five metre intervals. All test pits must be excavated to sub-soil and thematerial screened through six-metre mesh to facilitate the recovery of small artifacts.

2. Should deeply buried archaeological remains be found on the property duringconstruction activities, the Heritage Operations of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture andRecreation (MTCR) should be notified immediately.

3. In the event that human remains are encountered during construction, the proponentshould contact both the MTCR, and the Registrar or Deputy Registrar of CemeteriesRegulation Unit of the Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Regulations, (416) 326-8392.

The Whiskey Creek Master Drainage Plan Update from October 2009 noted that there are nobuildings in the Whiskey Creek Watershed that are identified on the Heritage Sites Inventory.

3.10 Noise

Valcoustics Canada Limited completed a preliminary traffic noise assessment as part of theHighway 400 Crossing Roads Study completed in May 2005.

Sound exposures were calculated using STAMSON V5.02-ORNAMENT, the computerized roadtraffic noise prediction model of the Ministry of Environment (MOE).



Using the road traffic data (supplied by Dillon Consulting), 24-hour (Leq 24-hour) soundexposures was calculated at each receptor location. Receptor locations are located inAppendix B Figure 10. To assess the noise impact, the existing sound exposures werecompared to the future with the proposed road improvements. This was a conservativeapproach since the future “do nothing” scenario is typically compared with the future “withimprovements” scenario. Since the traffic volumes are typically increasing, the existing soundexposure would be somewhat less than for the future “do nothing” scenario and the predictednoise impact greater.

Table 1 in Appendix B shows for each receptor, the existing sound exposures, the future soundexposures with the improvement sand the resulting noise impact (i.e. change betweenscenarios).

In addition to the detailed calculations at specific receptor locations, a calculation of theincreased noise generation of each road segment was done.

There are some locations where the sound exposures increase is predicted to be greater than5dBA. Thus, noise migration measures need to be considered.

Improvements to Harvie Road, Big Bay Point Road and the potential for a new Highway 400interchange will result in an increase in traffic volumes. In the next phases of the EA a noiseassessment will be undertaken to determine if noise mitigation due to increased traffic volumesis required.

3.11 Soil Conditions

A geotechnical investigation on Big Bay Point Road was carried out by Trow (exp) in February2008 for the Big Bay Point Road Transmission Watermain at Highway 400. The purpose of theinvestigation was to determine the subsurface soil and groundwater conditions by way of threesampled boreholes.

The quaternary geology in the general area of the site results from the actions of the Simcoelobe of the Laurentide Ice Sheet which covered the area in the Late Wisconsinan glaciation.The predominant soil formations in the area are the glaciofluvial ice-contact deposits, whichconsist of gravel and sand; minor till; including esker, kame, end moraine, ice-marginal deltaand subaqueous deposits.

The City of Barrie Engineering Department provided Trow with copies of previous investigationscarried out in the same general area by Dominion Soil Investigations Inc., Soil-Eng Limited, andPeto MacCallum Ltd. Three complete reports, as well as the borehole logs, laboratory testresults and borehole location plan from a fourth report were made available to Trow.

The partial report that was provided was completed by Dominion Soil Investigation Inc. inNovember of 1980. This investigation included two deep boreholes, one on each side of thehighway (Boreholes 8 and 9). The borehole logs encountered brown sand with traces of silt andgravel, loose to very dense and dry to damp. These boreholes extended to elevations of 277.7and 277.2 metres, respectively. Both boreholes were dry upon completion. Piezometersinstalled in the boreholes confirmed that the boreholes remained dry during the three weeksfollowing the drilling.



The three additional reports provided by the City of Barrie detailed the findings for investigationslocated in the general vicinity of the site. Table 3-1 details the relevant findings in each report.Table 3-1 - Borehole Information

Report Title and Origin BoreholeID

Distancefrom Site (m) Relevant Findings

Geotechnical InvestigationAllandale Sewer and WaterProject, Barrie, OntarioPeto MacCallum Ltd., 1985

PetoMacCallumBorehole 14– SurfaceElevation276.63

650

Sand: Compact brown silty fine sand,some gravel, wetBecoming fine to medium sand,some silt,moist at 1.5 metres depthUpon completion of auguring,boreholeopen, no free water

Geotechnical InvestigationBayview DriveReconstruction andChurchhill Drive Extension,Barrie, OntarioPeto MacCallum Ltd., 1999

PetoMacCallumBoreholeNo. 4 –SurfaceElevation278.85

650

Sand: Compact to very densebrown/greyfine to medium sand, trace silt tosilty,trace to some gravel, moistUpon completion of auguringboreholeopen to 4.50 m (dry)

A Soil Investigation For AProposed IndustrialSubdivision at Lots 8, 9 &10, Concessions 11 & 12,City of BarrieSoil-Eng Limited, 1982

Soil-EngBorehole 17– SurfaceElevation279.8

660

Brown compact to very dense FineSandtraces of silt and gravelDry on completion

3.12 Site Geology and Subsurface Conditions

Details of the soil strata encountered in the boreholes and the results of laboratory moisturecontent are indicated on the attached borehole information found in Appendix C. They includetextural descriptions of the subsoil along with the other results of the field testing program. Itshould be noted that the soil boundaries indicated on the Borehole Logs are inferred from non-continuous sampling and observations during drilling. These boundaries are intended to reflecttransition zones, for the purpose of geotechnical design and should not be interpreted as exactplanes of geological change. The stratigraphy at the site, as revealed in the boreholes, isgenerally comprised of granular fill overlying native deposits of sand and silt.

Topsoil and Asphalt

A 0.15 metre thick layer of topsoil was encountered at the surface of Borehole BH14. The top300 mm of Borehole BH16 was comprised of asphalt.Sand and Gravel Fill

Boreholes BH14 and BH16 both encountered a deposit of sand and gravel fill underneath theoverlying surficial materials. The sand and gravel fill extended to approximately 0.8 to 2.3metresbelow existing grade. The fill material within the boreholes was found to be damp.

Sandy Silt Till



Native sandy silt till, with trace gravel layer was encountered as the surficial deposit in BoreholeBH13, and in BH14 directly below the sand and gravel fill material. The material extended to 3.0to 3.5 metres depth. The compactness condition of the native sandy silt varied from loose tovery dense, but was typically compact. Moisture contents ranged from 6 to 24 percent.

Sand

A native sand layer was encountered in Boreholes BH13, BH14, and BH16. The sand, withtrace amounts of gravel, and trace to with silt, extended from 2.3 to 3.5 metres below grade tothe termination of the boreholes at depth ranging from 12.7 to 20.4 metres below grade. Thecompactness condition of the native sand varied from loose to very dense, but was typicallydense to very dense. Moisture contents ranged from 3 to 19 percent. Although no boulders wereencountered in the sand deposit in the boreholes, sand deposits can contain boulders and theremay be boulders located along the proposed tunnel path.

The location of the Harvie Road / Big Bay Point Road crossing may change in the future. Sincefoundation boreholes are required to be located within the outline of the final foundationlocation, which cannot be determined at this early stage in the assessment, a full foundationsinvestigation study could not be completed. The foundations for the structure can be assessedin a general way as follows assuming that the new road is over Highway 400. If spreadfoundations are possible, they would be founded at levels approximately at the existing groundelevations on either side of Highway 400. They would then need to be lowered or backfilled to atleast provide frost protection cover at approximately 1.8 metres of cover.

3.13 Groundwater Conditions

Groundwater observations are included as footnotes on the enclosed Borehole Logs. All of theboreholes were open and dry upon completion of drilling. The moisture contents of therecovered samples indicate the groundwater table in this area is located below the bottom of theboreholes. It must be noted that seasonal variations in the water table should be expected, withhigher levels occurring during wetter periods of the year (such as spring thaw and late fall), andlower levels during drier periods.



3.14 Utilities and Services

The following utilities can be found within the Harvie Road and Big Bay Point Road right-of-way:

A 400mm watermain, a 500mm watermain, a 600mm sanitary sewer, and a 750mm CPPwatermain;

A pumping station located immediately north of Harvie Road approximately 400m east ofHighway 400;

A 300mm watermain located approximately 80m west of the pumping station, running westto east;

A Bell Canada underground line contained within a 0.3m steel pipe located just south ofHarvie Road;

Bell Fiber Optic underground lines located along the west limit of the Highway 400 right-of-way, running in a north-south direction, and located on both north side and south side of BigBay Point Road running west to east;

A gas underground line located approximately 28 north of the centerline of Harvie Road and200mm gas line running west to east just east of Highway 400; and

Hydro line and poles are located along the south side of Harvie Road and Big Bay PointRoad.

3.15 Service Centre

A Service Centre is located on the east side of Highway 400 just north of Big Bay Point Road.The existing Service Centre has direct access and egress to and from Highway 400 northbound.The Service Centre can also be accessed through Fairview Road. Currently, there are potentialweaving problems and safety concerns with the proximity of the egress of the Service Centre tothe northbound Highway 400 off ramp with a distance of approximately 800m between theService Centre exit and the ramp.

Any transportation improvements identified in the study area will require the existing Highway400 the Barrie Service Centre located on the east side of Highway 400 just north of Big BayPoint Road to remain open. The service centre is currently being renovated.

3.16 Rail

The Rail crossing (spur) that crosses Big Bay Point Road at approximately 450m west ofBayview Drive (to old Molson’s Brewery property) is privately owned. The old Molson Breweryproperty is currently for sale and the rail needs may change depending on new developmentplans.

Rail deliveries historically occurred between 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, between am & pm road peakperiods, typically three times per week.

3.17 Economic Environment

Impact on Business

Business Owners along Highway 400 between Mapleview Drive and Essa Road have advisedthat the existing traffic congestion is negatively impacting their business. Any improvement intraffic capacity would have a positive impact on business.



Without either a highway crossing or highway interchange, development opportunity wouldeventually be limited in the south end of Barrie and associated development cost charges wouldnot be collected.

Due to potential weaving issues, access to the service centre may be altered, potentially withdirect shared access and an indirect egress.

Budget Considerations

The Corporation of the City of Barrie has a 10-Year Capital Plan which is reviewed annually byCouncil. The City of Barrie 2011 to 2020 Capital Plan currently calls for a highway crossingconnecting Harvie Road to Big Bay Point Road to be constructed by 2015.



4 ALTERNATIVES AND EVALUATION

4.1 Alternative Solutions

Integral to this planning process is the development of alternative solutions to correct the noteddeficiencies and to address the problem statement. The following alternative solutions for thisstudy have been identified as follows:

Alternative Solution 1 – Do Nothing Alternative

Continue to operate the transportation facility in its current form. No consideration for additionalmeasures to address long-term project specific problems or opportunities. This alternativeinvolves no change to the existing roadways. This alternative provides a benchmark to gaugethe environmental effect of not implementing changes to the existing transportation system.

Please refer to Exhibit 1 in Appendix G.

Alternative Solution 2 – Build a Highway 400 Crossing Connecting Harvie Road and BigBay Point Road

This alternative involves connecting Harvie Road and Big Bay Point Road across Highway 400.Transportation improvements would be from approximately 185 metres west of the new BryneDrive alignment to Bayview Drive. Phase 3 of the Class EA would include assessment of theunderpass and overpass options. Please refer to Exhibit 2 in Appendix G.

Alternative Solution 3 – Implement a New Highway 400 Interchange at Harvie Road andBig Bay Point Road

This alternative includes the implementation of a New Highway 400 Interchange at Harvie Roadand Big Bay Point Road. Please refer to Exhibit 3 in Appendix G. The interchange shown onExhibit 3 is based on a Ministry of Transportation typically preferred Parclo A-4 layout withadjustment in the northeast quadrant to allow for the ongoing reconstruction of the ServiceCentre. A portion of the northbound off ramp movement from Highway 400 will be directed tothe Service Centre facilities through a shared direct access with an indirect egress tonorthbound Highway 400 via the new E-N ramp. Phase 3 of the Class EA would includeassessment of the underpass and overpass options.

Alternative Solution 4 – Limit Future Growth and Development

Implement policies that would place additional constraints on where growth may occur and/orhow much development may occur.

Alternative Solution 5 – Transportation Demand Management

The Transportation Demand Management (TDM) includes Diversion of traffic to other roadways.This would include the examining a connection of Harvie Road and Big Bay Point Road acrossHighway 400 and a new interchange at Highway 400 to assist in handling the traffic increases.TDM also entails the encouragement of the use of other modes of transportation such as transitusage, bicycles, and carpooling.



Alternative Solution 6 – Update Other Roadways

This alternative involves updating other roadways including possible widening and additionalprovisions for alternative modes of transportation, such as public transit and bicycles fortravelers using the corridors.

4.2 Pre-Screening of Alternatives

The following alternative solutions were considered as potential alternatives in the planningprocess but were not carried forward as stand-alone alternatives, as they do not solve theproblem statement:

Alternative 4 (Limit Future Growth and Development) Alternative 5 (Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Alternative 6 (Update Other Roadways)

The alternatives above were not carried forward due to the following reasons:

Alternative 4 – Existing transportation problems will not be resolved.

Alternative 5 - Non-structural improvement solutions such as more car-pooling, greatertransit use and staggering of working times were considered to be beneficial, however,these measures would have only a minor impact on future traffic volumes and would notaddress any of the existing or future transportation / infrastructure deficiencies.

Alternative 6 – Property and geometric limitations for transportation improvements wouldnot resolve existing transportation issues at Mapleview Drive. There is inadequatecapacity crossing Highway 400 in the south end of Barrie

4.3 Analysis and Evaluation of Alternative Solutions

The alternatives developed to correct the deficiencies are to be screened with respect to theirimpact on the physical, social/cultural, natural, and economic environments. The assessmentprocess compares various alternatives to the undertaking in a comprehensive manner byensuring that the conclusions and recommendations are reached in a clear and logical fashion,and that all environmental issues sensitive to each undertaking are given thoroughconsideration. This assessment has been based on the work undertaken to-date.

The Preliminary Assessment and Evaluation of Planning Solutions table used the AlternativeSolutions above and weighs each against the following Evaluation Criteria:

Physical Safety; Traffic/Travel Demand; Roadway and Highway Geometrics; Railway; Ability to accommodate alternative transportation modes; and Utilities.

Social / Cultural Property Impacts; Development Opportunity;



Emergency Services; Impact of Traffic Congestion on quality of life; Access to property; Archaeology; and Built Heritage/Cultural Environment.

Natural Vegetation/Wildlife Habitats and Watercourse / Stormwater.

Economic Construction Costs; Land Costs; and Maintenance/Operating expenditures.



5 TRAFFIC ANALYSIS

5.1 Introduction

The City of Barrie in consultation with Morrison Hershfield retained the firm of Delcan to use the2031 traffic demands from the City’s macro model (in Emme 3) and the Aimsun software todevelop three scenarios for the year 2031, which included future transportation improvementsidentified in the City of Barrie 1999 Transportation Master Plan. The three scenarios assessedconsisted of:

1) Do Nothing;2) Harvie Road / Big Bay Point Road Crossing; and3) Harvie Road / Big Bay Point Road Interchange.

The results are discussed in the following sections.

5.2 Evaluation of Three Scenarios using Aimsun Micro-Simulation Model Approach

The Aimsun micro-simulation model shows small changes for time savings in the model that arenot necessarily conclusive between the Do Nothing, Crossing, and Interchange alternatives.With the 8-lane scenario there is a 0.3 minute, 18 seconds or 1.6% time savings with thecrossing over the do-nothing and with the interchange there is a 0.6 minute, 36 second or 3.2%percent savings over the do-nothing. There is a 0.3 minute, 18 seconds or 1.6% time savingswith the interchange over the crossing. These time savings in the system show an improvementwith the Crossing over the Do Nothing and the Crossing over the Interchange. However, theseimprovements are small.

The Aimsun model results show that queue lengths are significantly decreased at the existingEssa Road interchange with the introduction of an interchange rather than a Highway 400crossing. Analysis for the existing Mapleview Drive interchange show little difference betweenthe crossing and the interchange.

Additional analysis was completed on the following items: Highway 400 speed and volumes;Harvie Road interchange volumes; overall network performance; corridor travel time and delay;Highway 400 ramp queues; level of service at the adjacent interchanges; and volume andspeed at highway interchanges for the three alternatives (Do-nothing, Crossings andInterchanges).

The micro-model results are provided in Appendix D.

5.3 Evaluation by Morrison Hershfield using EMME 3 Model

Morrison Hershfield also completed an evaluation using macro-simulation (Emme 3) software.This is the latest model developed for the City of Barrie used for long-range planning.

Given below is a documentation of the results obtained from comparing the travel time savingsin the model and their values due to the construction of the Fly-over or the Interchange, for theyear 2031.



Assumptions that were made: Number of hours affected per day = 5 hours Value of Time per person = $15/hr Vehicle Occupancy = 1.2 persons Number of Work days/ year = 250

Using Emme and the City’s most recent strategic model, the following results were obtained: Building a crossing would save 102 vehicle.hours in the peak hour. This translates into

$2.3 million annual savings in the value of the travel time saved. Building an interchange would save 241 vehicle.hours in the peak hour. This translates

into $5.4 million annual savings in the value of the travel time saved. There is no hyper-congestion in the area (2031). Accordingly, the estimate of the

strategic model should be reasonable.

Please note that the effect of time savings for the heavy vehicles was not factored in, areasonable assumption may be to add about 5% to the numbers above, or $2.4M annualsavings for the crossing and $5.8M annual savings for the interchange.

The cost to build a crossing (Alternative 2) of Highway 400 on Harvie Road from 185 m West ofFuture Bryne Drive Extension to Big Bay Point Road connecting to Fairview Drive andreconstructing Fairview Drive to Bayview Drive would be in the approximate range of$15,000,000 to $20,000,000. The cost to build an interchange (Alternative 3) on Highway 400 atHarvie Road/Big Bay Point Road to the same limits would be in the approximate range of$30,000,000 to $35,000,000. The exact cost may depend on a number of factors including thefinal design configuration and allowance for potential future roadway and highway widening,property impacts, timing affecting bid prices, etc. The cost breakdown can be found in AppendixK.

Based on these estimated costs of construction and the time savings calculated from the mostrecent traffic model future traffic projections it would take a few years of operation to pay for theconstruction costs through time savings forecast for the improvements rather than notcompleting any improvements (Alternative 1 – Do Nothing). The estimates indicate that theinterchange may have a shorter payoff period than the highway crossing from a time savingsperspective.

5.4 Weaving Analysis

The section where a freeway entrance is followed by an exit and the paths of traffic entering thefreeway and that exiting the freeway cross and are in conflict is referred to as the “weavingsection”. This section is an important consideration in the location of the ramp terminals. Theconflict between entering and exiting traffic tends to interrupt the operation of normal throughtraffic, precipitates turbulence in traffic flow, and has the effect of reducing service volumes andcapacity. A weaving analysis was performed for the placement of a new interchange. Theweaving analysis was done according to the MTO Geometric Design Standards for OntarioHighways, Figure F4-7-Design Chart for Weaving. The analysis can be found in Appendix J.The results are as follows:



Table 5-1: Weaving Analysis for Placement of a New Interchange

SectionTotal Weaving

Traffic(8-lane)

Length of WeavingSection (m)

(Approximate)Level of Service

(LOS)

Southbound Harvie toMapleview 1654 600 B to C

Southbound Essa to Harvie 1866 600 B to C

Northbound Mapleview toHarvie 2477 600 C

Northbound Harvie to Essa 1854 650 B

The results indicate the lengths of weaving sections are sufficient for the total weaving traffic forthe placement of an interchange. Although Figure F4-7 from the MTO Geometric DesignStandards can provide an indication if weaving will become a problem for the proposed two laneon or off ramps, it is only sufficient at a planning level and a more detail weaving analysis in amicro simulation model will be required to fully understand the effects of the different trafficmovements and the potential conflicts. There may also be potential additional weaving issuesassociated with two lane on or off ramps. Also, due to weaving issues, there will also be a needto reroute the direct access and egress to and from the Service Centre. This is accommodatedwith the proposed interchange alternative where a direct shared access and an indirect egressto the Service Centre are provided.

5.5 Evaluation by IBI using EMME 3 Model

Subsequently for this study a further assessment of the highway crossing versus interchangewas completed by IBI Group in the Travel Demand Model Development report dated November,2010. The full report is available at the City of Barrie on the sixth floor front counter.

In overall terms, the interchange and the crossing alternatives illustrate the value of a potentialcrossing of Highway 400 at Big Bay Point Rd/Harvie Rd. A crossing was proposed over theinterchange given the concern for operation of an interchange at clos spacing to Essa Road andto Mapleview Drive. In terms of meeting the goals and objectives of the City, the following keycomments can be drawn from the analysis:

In terms of relieving Mapleview Drive interchange at Highway 400, there is not asubstantial difference between the crossing alternative and the interchange. Thecrossing alternative provides approximately 90% of the benefit to Mapleview Drive ascompare to the Interchange.

In terms of relieving Essa Road, the interchange alternative provides additional benefit,through the crossing alternative also benefits Essa Road interchange. The crossingprovides approximately 50% of the benefit of the interchange. As Essa Roadinterchange is planned for reconstruction, it may be possible to improve operationssignificantly with a crossing at Big Bay Point Rd / Harvie Rd.



5.6 Traffic Analysis Discussion

The Aimsun model results show that queue lengths are significantly decreased at the existingEssa Road interchange with the introduction of an interchange rather than a Highway 400crossing. Analysis for the existing Mapleview Drive interchange show little difference betweenthe crossing and the interchange.

The weaving analysis shows that the lengths of weaving sections are sufficient for the totalweaving traffic for the placement of an interchange at Harvie Road / Big Bay Point Road.

Based on the estimated costs of construction and the time savings calculated from the mostrecent traffic model future traffic projections it would take a few years of operation to pay for theconstruction costs through time savings forecast for the improvements rather than notcompleting any improvements (Alternative 1 – Do Nothing). The estimates indicate that theinterchange may have a shorter payoff period than the highway crossing from a time savingsperspective.

The traffic modelling outside of the study area has been based on the transportationimprovements identified in the 1999 City of Barrie Transportation Master Plan and the 2031population and employment numbers from Province of Ontario’s provincial growth plan(210,000 population and 101,000 jobs). Therefore, it is expected that additional transportationimprovements will be required outside of the study area beyond the needs identified in thisreport.



6 CONSULTATION (PUBLIC INFORMATION CENTRE #1)

Consultation is a key feature of the environmental assessment planning process, whichprovides a two-way communications process between the proponent and the affected andinterested parties. Consultation provides opportunities for information exchange and for thoseconsulted to have their concerns considered during the decision-making process. The goal ofconsultation is to generate meaningful dialogue between the project planners and stakeholdersand to allow an exchange of ideas and broadening of the information base to ultimately lead toan improved decision-making process, and thereby, an improved design solution.

The first Public Information Centre (PIC) was held on Wednesday November 17, 2010, from4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Barrie City Hall, in the Sir Robert Barrie Room, located on the 2nd

Floor, City Hall, 70 Collier Street to receive comments regarding the proposed alternativesolutions (including the potential for a new highway crossing or and interchange). Thesecomments will be used to develop a Preferred Solution.

Residents, stakeholders, and agencies were notified through newspaper advertisements, mail-out letters, and a copy of the notice placed on City of Barrie website. The agency mailing list isprovided in Appendix F and the PIC mailout information is also provided in Appendix F.

Notices and mailouts were also sent to relevant First Nation representatives and aboriginalaffairs agencies by mail. The complete First Nation mailing list for this study can also be foundin Appendix F.

The information displayed during the PIC included the following:

Problem Statement Study Area Municipal Class EA Plan and Design Process in Ontario Existing Conditions Alternative Solutions Proposed Evaluation Criteria Evaluation of Alternative Solutions Preliminary Assessment and Evaluation of Planning Solutions

A copy of the PIC display boards is included in Appendix F. The Class EA report andbackground documents are available on the City of Barrie website. The background documentsinclude:

Highway 400 MTO Design Study (April, 2004); Highway 400 MTO PDR (May 2005), Bryne Drive Class EA (2005); City of Barrie Highway 400 Crossing Roads Class EA Document, Phase 1 & 2 Report

(June 2005); Harvie Road Class EA (August 2002); and Whiskey Creek Master Drainage Plan

Update (October 2009).

These reports are available online by doing a keyword search on the City of Barrie web page(www.barrie.ca) for “class ea” and clicking on the first check-marked result then scrolling down

http://www.barrie.ca/



to the area titled “Big Bay Point Road / Harvie Road / Highway 400 TransportationImprovements Class EA Phase 1 & 2”.

Approximately 54 people attended the PIC. The attendees had the opportunity to speak withrepresentatives from the City and the Consultant and provide comments in the form of acomment sheet. The comments received either in the form of the comment sheet provided or insubsequent correspondences either by emails, facsimiles, or letters, are summarized in Table 6-1 and Table 6-2.



Table 6-1: Comments Received from Public Information Centre #1

ID# Comments Responses

1 We have 5 interchanges in Barrie – not one is a proper interchange with no traffic lights or stop signs –Haven’t we learned anything with all the traffic backed up. Perry Sound has 5 Highway interchanges.Why can’t we get funding for our 135, 000 plus souls!

The preferred alternative recommends a new crossing toprovide better connectivity and relieve traffic congestion inthe City and also recommends continued protection for aHighway Interchange. The need for a Highway Interchangewill be further evaluated in the update to the TransportationMasterplan being undertaken as part of the AnnexationStudy.

2 The first concern I have in relation to the development of Harvey Road is the amount of traffic thatHarvey Road will see. There is a daycare located on Harvey Road just East of the intersection ofThrushwood Drive. This daycare sees a lot of traffic in the morning and evening which has minimalparking and normally requires parents to park on the side of Harvey Road in order to pick up and drop offtheir children to park on Thrushwood Drive which would increase the traffic on a street which is alreadyheavily used from parents and buses accessing Trillium Woods public school. The daycare is also not setback from the road very far and poses a potential hazard for the children attending the daycare.Accidents normally occur at intersections and should one occur at this intersection it is very possible thatthe vehicles would end up entering the property of this daycare. This daycare also has a service thatwalks children to “Trillium Woods public school. I often see the two daycare employees walking a verylong line of young children along Thrushwood Drive and onto Harvey Road to access the daycare. In thecourse of my career as police officer I have investigated a great deal of accidents, in my opinion if HarveyRoad is widened it would pose a very likely potential for a tragic accident at this location.

The second concern I have in relation to this proposal is that it will interfere with wildlife that is habituatingin the nearby bush. On several occasions I have seen Deer and wild turkeys in the bush just behind myresidence. If this road is widened I feel it will have a large scale negative impact on the survivability of thewild animals in this area. The mere presence of wild animals also increases the risk of traffic accidents.

I will agree that Mapleview Drive and Essa Road are very congested, however I feel that this solution is apoor one. The continuation of Bryne Drive from Mapleview Drive to Essa Road should reduce some ofthe traffic as vehicles going North will be able to access the underpass at Essa Road to travel East of the400. Essa Road and Mapleview Drive is a suitable location for a multi lane highway with access to the400 as there is no houses on those roads, however Harvey Road is heavily populated with residentswhich will be affected with their safety.

Phase 3 & 4 of this Class EA will examine what traffic,pedestrian and parking improvements/restrictions arerequired for the proposed transportation improvements. Thefollowing will be examined in the next phase of the EA:

Traffic signals at Harvie and Thrushwood Parking restrictions Off Street Drop Off Staggered drop off / pick up times.

The alignment of Harvie Road and Big Bay Point Road isalso being shifted slightly to the north so there will beslightly less impacts in front of the daycare.

With the exception of the lands adjacent to the creek/stormwater pond, the vacant lands north and south of HarvieRoad are zoning for commercial/industrial typedevelopment. When this development goes in unfortunatelymuch of the wildlife in the area will disappear. Thealignment of Harvie Road is proposed to shift slightly to thenorth to minimize impacts to the sensitive areas around thecreeks. Phase 3 & 4 of this Class EA will further examinewhat can be done to further minimize the effects of theproposed transportation improvements to the naturalenvironment.

The need for transportation improvements connectingHarvie Road to Big Bay Road was confirmed in the 1999Transportation Masterplan. Even with the substantialtransportation improvements proposed at Essa Road/Hwy400 and Mapleview/Hwy 400 there will not be enough eastwest capacity crossing Highway 400 to service theproposed development in the south end of Barrie. The 2005Highway 400 Crossing EA also identified the need for ahighway crossing connecting Salem to Lockhart. A new



highway interchange is also being considered at Highway400 and the McKay Road (10th Line) as part of the update tothe Transportation Master Plan being undertaken as part ofthe Annexation Study. Unfortunately neither theSalem/Lockhart Highway 400 crossing or the proposed newhighway interchange at the McKay Road (10th line) willresolve the deficient east west capacity issue betweenMapleview and Essa Road.

3 As you know, we and Barrie have been actively participating in the City Environmental Assessment (EA)process for the realignment of Bryne Drive for several years. The first Stakeholders meeting wasNovember I5, 2006. We have urged the City to complete that work with a preference for Option 3. Weunderstand that the Bryne Drive EA has been stalled for many months, pending the EA on the HarvieRoad! Big Bay Point Road Highway 400 Improvements.

The initiative for a Harvie Road! Big Bay Point Road Highway 400 crossing or interchange goes back inpart to the MTO letter of November 29, 2004 to the Planning Services Department which advised " ...there may be a need for the City to plan and protect for a new interchange at Harvie Rd./Big Bay Pt. Rd.;in addition to the future crossing of Highway 400 that is already being protected for."

We submitted to the City a Concept for future development of the Business Park which incorporated bothBryne Drive EA Option 3 and Alternative 12B from the Harvie Road Feasibility Study in 2005 as it wasconsidered generally most likely to be preferred. That Concept Plan is shown on the attached BryneDrive Highway 400 Concept Draft Plan revised to include Alternative 3 of the Harvie Road/Big Bay PointRoad/Highway 400 Traffic Improvements EA.

Completion and implementation of both EAs in an equitable manner is requested. This will allowplanning, environmental studies and engineering to be completed for the sale and development of theseeconomic development lands.

The City Environmental Assessment of Harvie Road/Big Bay Point Road/Highway 400 TrafficImprovements is very significant to the future development and sale of the Business Park. Alternative 3Highway Interchange is preferred. The Concept Draft Plan for the Business Park has been modified to fitthe new larger area of the potential Interchange reserve of Alternative 3. Alternative 3 is consistent withprevious concept plans for the CTV Business Park based on both the Bryne Drive Realignment EA andthe City Harvie Road Interchange Feasibility Study. Alternative 3 maximizes the economic potentialdevelopment of all the lands in this area for employment and maximizes the accommodation of Highway400 and City traffic at this important location to Barrie's Strategic Plan.

The land required for the Alternative interchange from the CTV property is potentially approximately 5.3ha in addition to the MTO Highway 400 widening. The decision and implementation of this EA shouldrecognize that land as a contribution to an equitable sharing of the overall costs of the interchange. TheMTO has indicated the need for traffic impact studies (TIS) for development relative to requirements onthe Provincial Highway system. This was expressed in Condition 3 in the MTO November 2004 letter.The development lands at or near this interchange should be considered in one TIS for impact and costsharing of financial responsibility as we understand there will be no provincial money allocated.

Noted.

Noted.

Noted.

City of Barrie in consultation with MTO will work withadjacent property owners, stakeholders and those who wantto be kept informed to develop a preferred designalternative in the next phases of the EA to minimize theeffect on the environment and those directly affected.

The Preferred Alternative recommends a crossing at HarvieRoad / Highway 400 and continued land protection for aHighway Interchange.

The land requirement for a potential interchange will beconfirmed and considered in a Phases 3 and 4 of this EAStudy. Compensation for the required lands will also beexamined in the next phase of the EA or the lands may beacquired as part of the development process.



4 Clear information provided at this initial phase in the process. Helpful online accessibility. Thank-you for your positive feedback.

5 Reports present at the PIC are not posted on the website. The Class EA Report is available online by doing a keywordsearch on the City of Barrie web page for “Class EA” andclicking on the first check-marked result then scrolling downto the area titled Big Bay Point Road/Harvie Road/Highway400 Transportation Improvements Class EA Phase 1 & 2.

6 Host Kilmer Services Centres would like to be on record in favour of Options 1 & 2 and opposed toOption 3. HKSC feels that its business will suffer significant impact should Option 3 be chosen. Theimpact to jobs at the Service Centre will also be affected. We also feel that a significant portion of ourlands will be unduly affected by the construction of Option 3.

We would be pleased to arrange a meeting with the City of Barrie to discuss our concerns further.

We would like to express our concern regarding the potential visual obstruction of the service centre frommotorist travelling north on Highway 400 that could be caused by an addition of a bridge structure atHarvie Road. To attract clients to the facility, it is important that the service centre be visible as theyapproach the exit. We would like to know how the construction of the bridge would impact the line ofsight to the service centre and ask that the City consider increasing the span of the bridge to maintain theexisting advance visual cue/announcement of our available service facility.

The preferred alternative recommends a new crossing(Alternative 2) to provide better connectivity and relievetraffic congestion in the City and also recommendscontinued protection for a Highway Interchange (Alternative3). The access to the Service Centre, shown on Alternative3, is per the agreement that MTO and Host-Kilmer haveregarding the lease, operation and development of theService Centre site. The need for an interchange will befurther assessed as part of the update to the TransportationMasterplan being undertaken as part of the AnnexationStudy.

Telephone conference call was held with Host Kilmer andthe issue centers around the definition of direct access. It isHost Kilmer’s view that direct access also means dedicatedaccess. This issue will be further assessed in Phase 3 & 4of the EA in discussions with MTO.

Overpass or underpass design alternatives will be examinedin the next phases of the Class EA.

7 The south end of Barrie requires an additional overpass to assist with the flow of traffic within the city. Anadditional access to and from the highway is less important, but definitely a “do nothing” scenario iswrong – something must be done.

The Preferred Alternative Solution is for a crossing(Alternative 2) and continue land protection for a highwayinterchange. The need for an interchange will be furtherassessed as part of the update to the TransportationMasterplan being undertaken as part of the AnnexationStudy.

8 Comment sheet and link to the PDF Class EA was emailed to Barrie Police. No comments received.



9 We believe that Alternative 3 - Highway Interchange best addresses the future transportation needs forthe South End of Barrie.

We do request that the City of Barrie ensure that traffic and road design on both Bayview Drive (fromMapleview to Big Bay Point) and Big Bay Point Road (from Huronia to Essa) be designed to:

1. Ensure safe and relative ease of ingress and egress from our property (375 Bayview Drive), in alldirections, at all times;

2. Traffic staging is limited; and,

3. No median barriers are constructed on either Big Bay Point or Bayview Drive.

We request to be informed of all planning decisions, meetings, and the likes relating to this EA.


Bayview Drive is outside of the study area. The needTransportation Improvements will be further assessed aspart of the update to the Transportation Masterplan beingundertaken as part of the Annexation Study.

In accordance with the City’s Policy for minimizingconstruction impacts on business, one lane of traffic in eachdirection will be maintained during the construction, wherepossible. Other key issues during construction aremaintaining open access to businesses for customers anddeliveries, having sufficient sign visibility so customers knowthe businesses are open, and providing direction on how toaccess the businesses during construction. The City ofBarrie will notify businesses advising what to expect interms of duration of construction and any foreseeabledisruptions.

Construction staging will be considered in the next phase ofthis Class EA.

Medians west of Bayview on Big Bay Point Road will beconsidered in the next phases of this Class EA.

You will continue to be kept informed.

10 Thank you for your letter informing us of your future planned work. Enbridge has buried plant innumerous locations throughout your planned work area. Currently the scope of your project is toogeneral to determine if a conflict exists. During the engineering design of your project please send uscopies of your plans per normal procedure so we may review.

Noted.

11 We need to do something that will relieve the intersections at Mapleview and 400 and Essa.Letter also received stating:

Both the north and south bound off-ramps at Mapleviewand Highway 400 are currently being widened to 4 lanes.Also additional turning lanes are being provided onMapleview between Bayview and Barrieview Drive in part toaccommodate the first phase of the Park Placedevelopment. The Essa Road EA has been endorsed byCouncil. Interim improvements east of the north bound off-ramp and west of the south bound off-ramp includingwidening the off-ramps to 3 lanes is anticipated to startconstruction in 2013 subject to available budgets.



Our Board regards Big Bay Point Road and Fairview Road as a key transportation link for our elementaryand secondary schools in the City of Barrie. As you will note on the attached comment sheet, the Boardprefers Alternative 3. This alternative Identifies a 3 lane roadway per direction with additional turninglanes crossing Highway 400 and with access onto and from Highway 400. This alternative should help toredistribute traffic pressures at the intersections of Essa Road and Highway 400 and Mapleview andHighway 400. This alternative will allow a natural link between communities on the west and east side ofHighway 400 while also allowing vehicles to enter onto the highway in this locations rather than headingnorth to Mapleview or south to Essa Road.

As long as there are only partial closures during the construction of these roadways and traffic wasallowed to travel along the roadway during the road enhancements with either no or minimal delays, itwould not affect current busing in that area.

We are interested in any transportation impacts that this study will entail, as this may affect our busroutes, walking areas, and access to our schools. We would like to request the following information:

1) Proposed changes and project timelines, as this relates to our bus scheduling;2) Proposed traffic control measures;3) Road closures during construction.

We want to confirm our continued interest, and involvement in the Municipal Cass EnvironmentalAssessment (EA) process.


In accordance with the City’s Policy for minimizingconstruction impacts on business, one lane of traffic in eachdirection will be maintained during the construction, wherepossible. The City of Barrie will notify those affected by anyroad construction advising what to expect in terms ofduration of construction and any foreseeable disruptions.

The preferred design will be finalized in the Phases 3 and 4of the project. The detail plan for temporary traffic controlmeasures, detours, and road closures during constructionwill be examined in the detail design phase of the project.Adverse impacts during construction can be minimized.Two key issues during construction are maintaining openaccess and having sufficient sign visibility so people knowhow to enter and exit adjacent properties during this period.When the road is scheduled for reconstruction, the City ofBarrie will notify those that may be affected advising what toexpect in terms of duration of construction and anyforeseeable disruptions.


12 I wholeheartedly, 100% support building an interchange connecting Big Bay Point and Harvie over the400. Short of banning all further housing developments, retail locations, and improving all existing roads,there is no other feasible option for dealing with the current and future traffic in this area. Building ParkPlace (an atrocity in and of itself) has already begun and the old Molson Park area will be fully developedin the upcoming years. Traffic around Mapleview is impossible to navigate at the best of times, let alonepeak hours, weekends, summer months, or the holiday season. To make other plans that would leaveMapleview's interchange to serve as the sole on/off ramp would be a foolish and short-sighted joke.Building a bridge connecting Big Bay Point and Harvie would only be a temporary, and insufficient,measure and would not be in the best interests of the area's projected growth.

I agree with the article's Barrie resident opinion of feeling "trapped in (her) own neighbourhood", as Ioften feel the same way. The south end's residents have very few options for traveling to other areas ofBarrie: Mapleview (an unmitigated disaster), Essa (with four sets of lights within a one-block radius that

The Preferred Alternative Solution is for a crossing(Alternative 2) and continue land protection for a highwayinterchange. The need for an interchange will be furtherassessed as part of the update to the TransportationMasterplan being undertaken as part of the AnnexationStudy. Both the north and south bound off-ramps atMapleview and Highway 400 are currently being widened to4 lanes. Also additional turning lanes are being provided onMapleview between Bayview and Barrieview Drive in part toaccommodate the first phase of the Park Placedevelopment.

The Essa Road EA has been endorsed by Council. Interimimprovements east of the north bound off-ramp and west ofthe south bound off-ramp including widening the off-ramps



are always backed up), or to travel much farther down to Lockhart (practically in Innisfil and without thehelp of an interchange) or Dunlop (also a disaster, with a permanently busy two-lane bridge and trafficgalore).

The City seems much too busy handing out building permits for new subdivisions and condominiums(some being build over wetland ecosystems, no less), approving more and more office buildingcomplexes and strip-plaza type developments to be first concerned with how traffic is going to move inand out of these areas. The south end has positively exploded in recent years, but nothing has beendone about improving accessibility to and from both sides of the 400. Instead of connecting Little Avenuewith Ardagh Road via tunnel or bridge, instead a one-way entrance route was built into the back of theZehrs/Lowes/Leon's development. This space could have housed a new and improved on-ramp to the400 and/or connected Little and Ardagh, which would have drastically decreased the traffic congestionon Essa to the west of the 400.

Why on earth would the Caplan-Bryne extension have to be "rethought" if an interchange was installed atBig Bay Point and Harvie? For me, this is a no-brainer! Why it wasn't done years ago it beyond me, andyet the City is still hemming and hawing over whether or not it should be completed? I suppose thisexplains why we are now facing such a ridiculous, ill-planned and out-of-hand traffic situation. Without adoubt, these three things would dramatically improve current and future traffic flow problems for Barrie'ssouth end:1) Connect Big Bay Point Road with Harvie Road via an interchange2) Connect Caplan Road with Bryne Drive3) Connect Ardagh Road with Little Avenue via tunnel or bridge

Perhaps some of the funds for making this City navigable could be siphoned from other projects that donothing to improve its citizens' transportation: the brand new, multi-million dollar performing arts buildingbeing built downtown, perhaps? Local performers will get a fabulous new building to use while I'm stuckat the fifth light change on Mapleview trying to do my routine shopping. That somehow doesn't soundright to me.

Let's get the essentials taken care of before throwing money at superficial issues, or Barrie is doomed tobe a beautiful, artistically-enhanced city of in-car nervous breakdowns and road rage.

to 3 lanes is anticipated to start construction in 2013. The2005 Highway 400 Crossing EA also identified the need fora highway crossing connecting Salem to Lockhart. A newhighway interchange is also being considered at Highway400 and the McKay Road (10th Line) as part of the update tothe Transportation Master Plan being undertaken as part ofthe Annexation Study.

The Essa Road EA recommended a new west to southHighway 400 on-ramp which will cross over the newentrance to Zehrs/Lowes/Leon’s development. Your othercomments related to the development approval process arenoted but outside the scope of this study.

MTO requires a minimum separation between any highwayoff-ramp and the future Bryne Drive intersection. Thisminimum separation will affect the alignment of Bryne Drive.Approval from MTO is required before any transportationimprovements in the area can be implemented. ThePreferred Alternative Solution is for a crossing (Alternative2) and continue land protection for a highway interchange.The need for an interchange will be further assessed as partof the update to the Transportation Masterplan beingundertaken as part of the Annexation Study. The alignmentissues associated with the extension of Bryne Drive north ofCaplan is being assessed in an update to the Bryne DriveMasterplan which is currently underway. The Essa Road EAwas recently endorsed by Council and recommendtransportation improvements which will improve theconnection between Little Avenue and Ardagh Road.Proposed improvements include widening the existing EssaRoad / Highway 400 bridge to 6 through lanes (currentlyfour).

Construction of transportation improvements on MapleviewDrive is currently underway. Construction of the interimtransportation improvements on Essa Road are anticipatedto start in 2013.

Noted.



13 I was reviewing the presentation of the Public Information Centre of November 17th. I am wonderingwhen you expect to put forth a recommendation to council. In a best case scenario, and if an option otherthan the “do nothing” option is selected, what is the earliest date construction could begin andcompleted?

Currently, the study is in the Phases 1 and 2 of theMunicipal Class EA process. Upon approval, the project willproceed to the Phases 3 and 4. Upon the completion of theEnvironmental Study Report (ESR), the public will have theopportunity to review the ESR during a 30-day reviewperiod. The project will then proceed to the detailed designphase and the construction phase upon the approval by theCity Council. The 2011-2014 Capital Plan currently showsthis project being constructed in 2013 & 2014 but this issubject to change depending on other priorities during theyearly update to the Capital Plan (only the first year of thecapital plan is set in stone by Council every year).

14 As per discussion with city staff and the consultant that are no proposed impacts on the lands owned by1074243 Ontario Ltd. We request to be advised immediately if anything changes and any impacts orpotential impacts to the lands arise.

The widening of Harvie Road and/or the ultimate alignmentof Bryne Drive may affect this property. Access to theproperty could also be affected during construction.

15 In general, I agree with Alternative 3. But I would suggest adding access from Big Bay Point Road onlywithout crossing the highway. I don’t see big value of extending Harvie Road, it is small local that servesour small community. On other hand, extending the road will have huge negative impact on people thatlive here.

The need for transportation improvements connectingHarvie Road to Big Bay Road was confirmed in the 1999Transportation Masterplan. In 2005, the City of Barriecarried out another study to identify the transportationimprovements needed to cross Highway 400. The studyagain confirmed the need for the Harvie Road/Big Bay PointRoad crossing. The corridor currently does not crossHighway 400 and as a result the traffic volumes are low onHarvie Road.

Phase 3 & 4 of this Class EA will examine what traffic,pedestrian and parking improvements/restrictions arerequired for the proposed transportation improvements.

16 I have a suggestion for Alternative 3, should that be the preferred solution. Could the northbound onramp coming from the west (Harvie Rd.) be changed to a left turn on ramp? If so, this could eliminate theneed to realign the new crossing so far to the north and thereby reduce the impacts to Whiskey Creekand the associated mature woodlot. You note that there is a cold water brook trout fish habitatdownstream. The woodlot is what is contributing to the maintenance of that creek’s water quality andquantity. It might also reduce costs by requiring a bridge that spans one less lane. Another benefit to thiswould be that motorist heading north bound on 400 coming from the west on Harvie Rd. could access theService Centre. I understand there may be other factors to consider (traffic study, infrastructure, etc.)Any feedback from you would be appreciated.

As I mentioned in my previous correspondence, my main focus of concern is the Natural Heritage valuespresent in the subject area and the downstream features and functions in Whiskey creek that could beimpacted (i.e. self-sustaining Brook Trout population). The portion of Whiskey creek that is within thesubject area is providing indirect and potentially (with restoration of the creek downstream) direct habitat.


Also, the new alignment has been shifted north to provide agreater separation between the proposed interchange andMapleview Drive and avoid major impacts to existing utilitiesand allows for accessibility. These design details will beexamined in greater detail in Phase 3 & 4 of the Class EA.

Both the north and south bound off-ramps at Mapleview



I find it concerning that the Morrison Hershfield draft EA (Nov. 8, 2010) contained a very minimalinformation on Natural Heritage. In fact I could not even find a plant inventory of the subject area, orBreeding bird survey. No information is given on the full range of impacts to losing the woodlot area (i.e.breeding bird habitat, amphibians, amelioration of the heat island effect in urban areas, carbon storageand sequestration, noise reduction, habitat for the multitude of organisms in the woodlot, etc.)

I also find it disconcerting that the "alternatives" under consideration either have no impact (Do nothing -which we all know isn't really an alternative under consideration) or have the greatest impact on naturalheritage features (Whiskey creek and the indirect fish habitat, water quality, etc and the woodlot).

and Highway 400 are currently being widened to 4 lanes.Also additional turning lanes are being provided onMapleview between Bayview and Barrieview Drive in part toaccommodate the first phase of the Park Placedevelopment. The Essa Road EA has been endorsed byCouncil. Interim improvements east of the north bound off-ramp and west of the south bound off-ramp includingwidening the off-ramps to 3 lanes is anticipated to startconstruction in 2013.

A detailed natural heritage assessment will be undertaken inthe Phases 3 & 4 of the Class EA to assess designalternatives, including a tree inventory, environmentalexisting conditions assessment, and an environmentalimpact assessment.The approach used to evaluate the alternatives will bereassessed in the next phases of the Class EA.

17 Given the continued growth of Barrie's South end in particular and further expansion to annex Innisfil, webelieve the best option for this issue is to build an interchange connecting Harvie Rd and Big Bay Pointand providing access to and from the 400. The majority of bridges /underpasses require replacement inBarrie and having this will provide further opportunities to sustain traffic flow as we eventually addressmuch needed expansion to the remaining structures. As well, this provides a logical opportunity toaddress the current bottlenecks that exist with the Essa Rd underpass and the most recently developedunderpass at Mapleview. Watching the process of comparable bridge replacement vs new constructionthis will most quickly and effectively and economically address the transportation needs and loominggrowth of Park Place, the former Barrie Fair grounds and the multitude of other developments in thesurrounding area.


Both the north and south bound off-ramps at Mapleviewand Highway 400 are currently being widened to 4 lanes.Also additional turning lanes are being provided onMapleview between Bayview and Barrieview Drive in part toaccommodate the first phase of the Park Placedevelopment. The Essa Road EA has been endorsed byCouncil. Interim improvements east of the north bound off-ramp and west of the south bound off-ramp includingwidening the off-ramps to 3 lanes is anticipated to startconstruction in 2013.

18 Alternative 3 – Although my #1 choice, I still have a couple of concerns.

1) Like all other ramps onto & off of the HWY 400, you are always faced with traffic lights.


The cloverleaf highway interchange would eliminatory trafficsignals but has weaving issues. Phase 3 & 4 of the Class



2) If existing 400 into the service area, why can’t you have a direct route, north, to get back onto400, instead of back-tracking. Also, why not move the service centre either S or N of theinterchange to avoid this problem?

EA will further examine this issue by presenting differentdesign alternatives for consideration.

The proximity of the Essa Road north bound off-rampcreates a weaving issue with direct egress from the existingand proposed Service Centre.

19 Alternative #2 would be initially the most cost effective method of moving traffic across HWY 400 (lessstop lights). In the future, step 2 could be to improve the intersection at Essa Rd. & HYW 400 and thenfinally to add access to HWY 400 at Harvie Rd./Big Bay Point Rd. (As funds are available).


Both the north and south bound off-ramps at Mapleviewand Highway 400 are currently being widened to 4 lanes.Also additional turning lanes are being provided onMapleview between Bayview and Barrieview Drive in part toaccommodate the first phase of the Park Placedevelopment. The Essa Road EA has been endorsed byCouncil. Interim improvements east of the north bound off-ramp and west of the south bound off-ramp includingwidening the off-ramps to 3 lanes is anticipated to startconstruction in 2013.

Staging of proposed transportation improvements will beconsidered in the next phases of this Class EA.

20. No Comments

21 Barrie experiences major traffic problems at the Mapleview and Essa on/off ramps. One more accesscould assist greatly in this dilemma. Currently the land appears to be available around Harvie Rd. andBig Bay Point Rd. to accommodate these changes. We say open the access to the 400 as our end ofBarrie is only growing faster with so much traffic.


Both the north and south bound off-ramps at Mapleviewand Highway 400 are currently being widened to 4 lanes.Also additional turning lanes are being provided onMapleview between Bayview and Barrieview Drive in part toaccommodate the first phase of the Park Placedevelopment. The Essa Road EA has been endorsed byCouncil. Interim improvements east of the north bound off-ramp and west of the south bound off-ramp includingwidening the off-ramps to 3 lanes is anticipated to start



construction in 2013.

22 As a resident of Innisfil and probably speaking for most of them, we were wondering about the extensionof Lockhart over the 400. Going anywhere near Mapleview to get to south Barrie is insane, especiallywhen Park Place opens. Right now most of us take the 10th Sideroad over the 400 and come in throughthe back of Commerce Park. Harvie Road does zero for us as we still have to go to Mapleview to getthere. Lockhart already goes to the 400. Going anywhere in Barrie, we still have to go to Mapleview toget on the 400, and shopping in south Barrie is a hassle.

The 2005 Highway 400 Crossing EA also identified the needfor a highway crossing connecting Salem to Lockhart. Anew highway interchange is also being considered atHighway 400 and the McKay Road (10th Line) as part of theupdate to the Transportation Master Plan being undertakenas part of the Annexation Study.

Both the north and south bound off-ramps at Mapleviewand Highway 400 are currently being widened to 4 lanes.Also additional turning lanes are being provided onMapleview between Bayview and Barrieview Drive in part toaccommodate the first phase of the Park Placedevelopment.

23 No Comments

24 The study says little impact on Mapleview interchange from Alt. 2. I believe, because of the space andnumber of lights and the inefficiency of the Mapleview interchange, that drivers travelling north or southon 400 will use the Big Bay Point interchange and the arterial roads to get to their destination (Bryne Dr.must be connected to support this).

The maco and micro modeling that was undertakenaccounted for intensification an annexation but didn’tconsider a new highway interchange at McKay Road (10th

Line). A more comprehensive traffic analysis will beundertaken as part of the update to the TransportationMaster Plan being undertaken as part of the AnnexationStudy.


25 This project is a must. The traffic at the Mapleview and Essa 400 interchanges are a nightmareparticularly at rush hour. Doing nothing is NOT an option in my mind. Alternative 3 is the way to go. In thenot too distant future we will require an interchange so might as well do it now. The developer of ParkPlace should foot most of the bill.


Both the north and south bound off-ramps at Mapleview



and Highway 400 are currently being widened to 4 lanes.Also additional turning lanes are being provided onMapleview between Bayview and Barrieview Drive in part toaccommodate the first phase of the Park Placedevelopment (Park Place is also paying for thesetransportation improvements). The Essa Road EA has beenendorsed by Council. Interim improvements east of thenorth bound off-ramp and west of the south bound off-rampincluding widening the off-ramps to 3 lanes is anticipated tostart construction in 2013.

Developers also pay development cost charges as part ofdevelopment approval and these funds partially pay fortransportation improvements throughout the City.

26 I’ve just received your documentation concerning a Municipal Class Environmental Assessment forHarvie Rd./Big Bay Point Rd./HWY 400. The only thing I’ll add is an fyi, we do have an 8” steel gas mainrunning across the north side of Harvie Rd. If the city decides to move forward with road works in thisvicinity please refer to the attached documents.

Noted. Enbridge will continue to be kept informed as thisClass EA progresses and the attached documents will beconsidered during Phase 3 & 4 of this Class EA and duringdetail design.

27 Yes, there’s clearly a need to work on the congestion on Mapleview; but we’re a bit worried that our quietsubdivision section of Harvie, west of Essa, could end up suffering the fat of the poor people who live onMapleton between Essa and Veterans – if there is a Hwy 400 interchange on Harvie, a lot of folks willprobably decide to drive straight through our neighbourhood to reach points west.

I hope the city will look at ways to discourage that (e.g. stop signs/traffic calming on Harvie west of Essa,or designing the intersection at Harvie/Essa to discourage through-traffic and encourage movement overto Mapleton, which is more suited…)

Phase 3 & 4 of this Class EA will examine what traffic,pedestrian and parking improvements/restrictions/calmingare required for the proposed transportation improvements.The following will be examined in the next phase of the EA:

Traffic signals at Harvie and Thrushwood Parking restrictions

The alignment of Harvie Road and Big Bay Point Road isalso being shifted slightly to the north so there will beslightly less impact to the existing properties on the southside of Harvie Road. The update to the Transportation MPbeing undertaken as part of the Annexation Studies willprovide detailed design guidelines for traffic calming.

28Our preliminary review of your notice and supporting information indicates that ORC-managed property isnot within your study area. We have no other concerns with this undertaking. Please remove ORC fromyour circulation list with respect to this project.

Noted. ORC will be removed from the contact list of thisproject.

29 Public Health Protection and Prevention Branch is interested in the public health aspects of this EA andwishes to be kept informed of any further developments. The local Board of Health has a more direct rolein reviewing these matters and recommend that you advise them of this EA. For your convenience wehave provided the contact information for the appropriate local Medical Officer of Health for the area inwhich the EA is located. Dr. Charles Gardner, Medical Officer of Health, Simcoe Muskoka District HealthUnit, 15 Sperling Drive, Barrie, ON, L4M 6K9.

Dr. Gardner will be added to our contact list.



30 I would like to have a copy of exhibit #3 so I can study it at home. The Class EA Report is available online by doing a keywordsearch on the City of Barrie web page for “class ea” andclicking on the first check-marked result then scrolling downto the area titled Big Bay Point Road/Harvie Road/Highway400 Transportation Improvements Class EA Phase 1 & 2.

31 I will not be able to attend but would like information regarding the meeting. I think that it is in the bestinterest of commuter traffic to construct an over- or under-pass in this area just for the potential of easingtraffic at the interchange North of that location. I look forward to hearing the outcome and potentialsolutions.


32 The interchange in our opinion should be a bridge with smart design, ie: pre construction near or on siteas 400 and King interchange was just done. Access lanes off and on the 400 should be at least 2 or 3every way with the ability to increase in the future. A bridge is more forward thinking as it’s very difficultand expensive to expand a tunnel.

The Preferred Alternative Solution is for a crossing(Alternative 2) and continue land protection for a highwayinterchange. The need for an interchange will be furtherassessed as part of the update to the TransportationMasterplan being undertaken as part of the AnnexationStudy. Design alternative including whether the crossingwill be over or under the Highway will be looked at in thenext phase of the Class EA.

33 Preferred Alternative 3 (Highway Interchange) for the following reasons:Access to emergencies on HWY 400.Reduce traffic congestion.Reduce response times.


34 Loss of green space impact on wildlife (deer, wolves, wild turkey, fox, rabbits, etc.).

Increased noise and dirt from construction. Increased traffic on our quiet road and behind my house. Imoved here because it was quiet, low traffic and easy access to 400 at Essa.

With the exception of the lands adjacent to the creek/stormwater pond the vacant lands north and south of Harvie Roadare zoning for commercial/industrial type development.When this development goes in unfortunately much of thewildlife in the area will disappear. The alignment of HarvieRoad is proposed to shift slightly to the north to minimizeimpacts to the sensitive areas around the creeks. Phase 3 &4 of this Class EA will further examine what can be done tofurther minimize the effects of the proposed transportationimprovements to the natural environment.


Traffic signals at Harvie and Thrushwood Parking restrictions

The alignment of Harvie Road and Big Bay Point Road is



also being shifted slightly to the north so there will beslightly less impact to the existing properties on the southside of Harvie Road. Measure to reduced constructionimpacts will also be examined in the next phases of thisClass EA.

Proposed transportation improvements will increasebackground noise in the area. Predicted future traffic noiselevels will be below the warrants for noise barriers on Citystreets. Any recommended improvements will look atmanaging traffic in a sustainable way to minimize theseimpacts on adjacent communities while addressing capacityand safety issues.

35 No Comment

36 Increased noise, traffic, dust, dirt, graffiti, garbage, loitering, pedestrian traffic, racing, noise, destructionof natural environment including wildlife habitat, trees, streams, etc.



Traffic signals at Harvie and Thrushwood Parking restrictions Traffic Calming

The alignment of Harvie Road and Big Bay Point Road isalso being shifted slightly to the north so there will beslightly less impact to the existing properties on the southside of Harvie Road. Measure to reduced constructionimpacts will also be examined in the next phases of thisClass EA.

Proposed transportation improvements will increasebackground noise in the area. Predicted future traffic noiselevels will be below the warrants for noise barriers on City



streets. Any recommended improvements will look atmanaging traffic in a sustainable way to minimize theseimpacts on adjacent communities while addressing capacityand safety issues.

Graffiti issues will be dealt with by Barrie Police andgarbage issues may require additional maintenance by CityOperation staff and increased enforcement by Barrie Police.

37 No comment

38 The only solution is #3 due to the already heavy traffic in the area. The Preferred Alternative Solution is for a crossing(Alternative 2) and continue land protection for a highwayinterchange. The need for an interchange will be furtherassessed as part of the update to the TransportationMasterplan being undertaken as part of the AnnexationStudy.

Both the north and south bound off-ramps at Mapleviewand Highway 400 are currently being widened to 4 lanes.Also additional turning lanes are being provided onMapleview between Bayview and Barrieview Drive in part toaccommodate the first phase of the Park Placedevelopment (Park Place is also paying for thesetransportation improvements). The Essa Road EA has beenendorsed by Council. Interim improvements east of thenorth bound off-ramp and west of the south bound off-rampincluding widening the off-ramps to 3 lanes is anticipated tostart construction in 2013.

39 Great idea – sorely needed. Too bad Bryne Drive opening could not compliment it. Noted. Phasing of proposed transportation improvementswill be examined in the next phases of this Class EA.

40 Alternative 2 HWY crossing – least impact on green space, more affordable. Solves the problem.Alternative 3 – perhaps better foreseeing future development of Barrie, but greatest impact onneighbourhood and visual impact/woodlands.




41 Alternatives 2 & 3 would have minimal impact without extension to Bryne Dr. The Preferred Alternative Solution is for a crossing(Alternative 2) and continue land protection for a highwayinterchange. The need for an interchange will be furtherassessed as part of the update to the TransportationMasterplan being undertaken as part of the AnnexationStudy. The phasing of the proposed transportationimprovements include Bryne Drive will be looked at in thenext phases of the Class EA.

42 In addition the completion of joining Bryne Dr. is needed to further alleviate traffic and allow for choices inmoving around the study area.

The Preferred Alternative Solution is for a crossing(Alternative 2) and continue land protection for a highwayinterchange. The need for an interchange will be furtherassessed as part of the update to the TransportationMasterplan being undertaken as part of the AnnexationStudy. The phasing of the proposed transportationimprovements include Bryne Drive will be looked at in thenext phases of the Class EA.

43 Do nothing is not really an alternative, because of the current congestion on Mapleview near Hwy 400. The Preferred Alternative Solution is for a crossing(Alternative 2) and continue land protection for a highwayinterchange. The need for an interchange will be furtherassessed as part of the update to the TransportationMasterplan being undertaken as part of the AnnexationStudy.

44 Alternatives 1 & 2 simply aren’t acceptable with current traffic volumes. An interchange at Big Bay Pointcombined with improvements at Essa and Mapleview interchanges are a prerequisite for continuedgrowth.


45 A must to alleviate traffic volume & daily/nightly congestion on Mapleview. The Preferred Alternative Solution is for a crossing(Alternative 2) and continue land protection for a highwayinterchange. The need for an interchange will be furtherassessed as part of the update to the TransportationMasterplan being undertaken as part of the AnnexationStudy.




46 Ramps are required, so the alternatives are not an option, in my opinion. Also, improving Mapleview,Essa, Dunlop interchanges could help alleviate traffic issues also.



The Essa Road EA has been endorsed by Council. Interimimprovements east of the north bound off-ramp and west ofthe south bound off-ramp including widening the off-rampsto 3 lanes is anticipated to start construction in 2013.

Phase 3 & 4 of a Class EA is currently underway for Dunlop.The Class EA Report is available online by doing a keywordsearch on the City of Barrie web page for “class ea” andclicking on the first check-marked result then scrolling downto the area titled Dunlop EA (Anne to Ferndale).

47 We need traffic relief. I am trapped in my subdivision. An overpass will help the Mapleview disaster butwe need off ramps too for better highway access. We need Bryne Dr. connected too.

Very good info and support here – had a harder time finding info on website please email me link.



A Class EA for Bryne Drive is currently underway. Thephasing/timing of the recommended transportationimprovements will be included in the Environmental StudyReport.

The Class EA Report is available online by doing a keywordsearch on the City of Barrie web page for “class ea” andclicking on the first check-marked result then scrolling downto the area titled Big Bay Point Road / Harvie Road /Highway 400 Transportation Improvements Class EA Phase



1 & 2.

48 No Comments.

49a Butternuts were identified by the LSRCA in 2004 along the eastern boundary of the MobiusDevelopment. The trees were located adjacent to the train tracks off of Big Bay Point Road if memoryserves correctly.

Noted. Additional field investigations will be undertaken toconfirm locations.

49b No Comments

50 Need to move Park Place traffic on and off 400 efficiently and not load Bayview or Big Bay Point.Bryne Dr. when built needs to move from original location. Supportive of Option 3.



A Class EA for Bryne Drive is currently underway. Thephasing/timing of the recommended transportationimprovements will be included in the Environmental StudyReport.

51 Prefers Alternative 3. Satisfies options to access 400 and cross 400 HWY.

Have get to view Barrie.ca website. Will do that next.




52 In determining your duty to consult, you may wish to contact the First Nations in the vicinity of your areaof interest to advise them of your intentions. To do this you may: find the Reserves in your area ofinterest by consulting a map of the region such as the Province of Ontario Ministry of Aboriginal Affairsonline map at http://www.aboriginalaffairs.gov.on.ca/english/services/firstnations.asp; then search for theFirst Nations located on those Reserves by using the INAC Search by Reserve site at http://pse5-esd5.ainc-inac.gc.ca/fnp/Main/Search/SearchRV.aspx?lang=eng.

To determine the First Nations in your area of interest who have submitted claims please consult theReporting Centre on Specific Claims at http://pse4-esd4.ainc-inac.gc.ca/SCBRI/Main/ReportingCentre/External/ExternalReporting.aspx?lang=eng.It should be noted that the reports available on the INAC website are updated regularly and therefore,you may want to check this site often for updates. In accordance with legislative requirements,confidential information has not been disclosed.Please rest assured that it is the policy of the Government of Canada as expressed in The SpecificClaims Policy and Process Guide that: “in any settlement of specific native claims the government willtake third party interests into account. As a general rule, the government will not accept any settlementwhich will lead to third parties being dispossessed.”

We can only speak directly to claims filed under the Specific Claims Policy in the Province of Ontario.We cannot make any comments regarding potential or future claims, or claims filed under otherdepartmental policies. This includes claims under Canada’s Comprehensive Claims Policy or legal actionby a First Nation against the Crown. You may wish to contact the Assessment and Historical ResearchDirectorate at (819) 994-6453, the Consultation and Accommodation Unit at (613) 944-9313 andLitigationManagement and Resolution Branch at (819) 934-2185 directly for more information.

You may also wish to visit http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ai/mr/is/acp/acp-eng.asp on the INAC website forinformation regarding the Federal Action Plan on Aboriginal Consultation and Accommodation. To thebest of our knowledge, the information we have provided you is current and up-to-date. However, thisinformation may not be exhaustive with regard to your needs and you may wish to consider seekinginformation from other government and private sources (including Aboriginal groups). In addition, pleasenote that Canada does not act as a representative for any Aboriginal group for the purpose of any claimor the purpose of consultation.

The First Nations in the vicinity of this Class EA have beencontacted and their comments considered in thedevelopment of the preferred alternative. They will be alsobe contacted during the next phases of this Class EA andtheir comments considered in the development of thepreferred design alternative.

53 On this basis, we offer the following comments for your consideration. Evaluation of Alternative SolutionsSection 4 of the draft Class EA identifies a total of six alternative solutions, three of which are consideredunsuitable given that they do not address the problem statement. Based on the three options goingforward, it appears that the second alternative (crossing/overpass without an interchange) would havethe least impact on the natural environment (other than the "do nothing" option). This evaluation issubstantiated through the preliminary assessment found in Appendix H. On this basis, we agree with thepreliminary evaluation and assessment and prefer alternative solution two from a watershed andenvironmental perspective. This Alternative would have less impact on Whiskey Creek, its fishery, andthe associated natural heritage features.

The final EA document, regardless of preferred alternative two or three, should clearly indicate that anydesign will be subject to the following environmental parameters:• Maintaining the quality and quantity of water for Whiskey Creek• Maintaining the flood plain function of Whiskey Creek• Preventing erosion and sedimentation


The Class EA report has been updated to indicate that anydesign will be subject to the environmental parameterslisted and the specificity of each will be detailed in the nextphases of this Class EA.

http://www.aboriginalaffairs.gov.on.ca/english/services/firstnations.asp;

http://pse4-esd4.ainc-/

http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ai/mr/is/acp/acp-eng.asp



• Maintaining and enhancing fish habitat• Providing for appropriate mitigation (replacement) for natural heritage feature lossThe specificity of these parameters can be fulfilled through the subsequent stages of the EA processand/or via the LSRCA's permit approval process.

As you are aware, permit approval from the conservation authority will be required prior to anydevelopment within an area regulated by Ontario Regulation 179/06. Through the permit process, theprovisions of the federal Fisheries Act will also be met via our Level III Fish Habitat Agreement withFisheries and Oceans Canada (FOC). Provincial policy established in the Lake Simcoe Protection Planshould also be fulfilled as it relates to storm water management and the maintenance of water qualityand quantity. On this basis, we recommend that the final EA document contain the following within theapprovals section:Prior to any site alteration and development, permit approval from the LSRCA shall be obtained inaccordance with the following:

• Ontario Regulation 179/06 under the Conservation Authorities Act• Level III Fish Habitat Agreement (LSRCA-DFO) under the Fisheries Act• Lake Simcoe Protection Plan under the Lake Simcoe Protection Act

We look forward to working with the City through the subsequent stages of this environmentalassessment process.

Further to our discussion this week, please note the following as it relates to natural heritage featuresand functions:

That sufficient fisheries information is available (conducted by the LSRCA in 2007) to confirmthat the Whiskey Creek system at this location is coldwater habitat that is characterized by thepresence of downstream Brook Trout. As a result, any crossing must accommodate all effortsto preserve this coldwater habitat and fish passage.

That current Ecological Land Classification (ELC) should be carried out to vegetation typethroughout the study area.

That a current species at risk inventory should be undertaken to fulfill the requirements of theEndangered Species Act

That a current breeding bird and amphibian survey should be undertaken in the spring of 2011.

We trust that this further defines the information requirements for this EA process and study area fromour perspective.

Following the successful completion of this Class EA theCity will obtain the necessary permits during detail design.

During the next phases of this Class EA the LSRCA willcontinue to be circulated/consulted as a stakeholder.

Noted.

The ELC will be undertaken in the next phases of this ClassEA.

The current species at risk inventory will be undertaken inthe next phases of this Class EA.

The current breeding and amphibian survey will beundertaken in the spring in the next phases of this ClassEA.

54 The following comments are submitted on behalf of the Brereton Field Naturalists Club (BFNC) for yourconsideration.

1. NEED Is this project really necessary to the future wellbeing of the human population ofBarrie? Or is it just another example of building more roads so that they can fill up with morecars and continue/increase the traffic gridlock which the project was intended to alleviate?

The need for transportation improvements connectingHarvie Road to Big Bay Road was confirmed in the 1999Transportation Masterplan. Even with the substantialtransportation improvements currently underway atMapleview and proposed to start construction in 2013 atEssa there will not be enough east west capacity crossingHighway 400 to service the proposed development in thesouth end of Barrie. The 2005 Highway 400 Crossing EA



2. ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION We are encouraged by the problem statement wording: "Thatthe existing traffic and infrastructure deficiencies be corrected in an environmentally friendlymanner which also meets future transportation needs." (Our emphasis). We would take this tomean that the hierarchy for this and all transportation improvements should be based on apriority of pedestrian, non-motorized vehicle, public transit and lastly private vehicle, indescending order. This would mean that designing opportunities for active transportation wouldbe a first priority for this project, if we are truly to meet our future transportation needs ratherthan our immediate transportation wants.

3. LANDSCAPE CONNECTIVITY Any construction of new major roads adds to thefragmentation of the landscape and lessens the connectivity of the landscape for passage ofwildlife from one area of the City to another and to the surrounding hinterland areas. BecauseHwy. 400 is already such a major barrier, any changes to the highway or addedover/underpasses or interchanges should be used as opportunities to reconnect the landscapeas much as possible. Appropriate design measures should be taken to ensure safe crossingopportunities for wildlife so that fish can migrate upstream and downstream along existingwatercourses and that both large and small mammals can migrate to seek food andshelter with less daily risk of becoming road kill. Ensuring safe opportunities for wildlifemigration is even more important when considering the effects of climate change and the needfor wildlife to adapt to the long-term effects of climate change on their habitat and foodsources. An underpass under Hwy. 400 might be more able to increase landscape connectivityfor wildlife than an overpass, provided this could provide a crossing separated from vehicletraffic. This should be considered in the design of any project that may be approved for thissite.

4. WOODLOTS AND WATERCOURSES Impacts of the project, both during and afterconstruction on adjacent woodlands and/or watercourses should be kept to a minimum in orderto maintain wildlife habitat, and remedial measures should be included in the detailed design ifthe project proceeds. This particularly should apply to the woodlot at the northeast corner ofBig Bay Point Rd. and Fairview Rd., which may also be a source of base flow for WhiskeyCreek. While the environmental study notes a lack of cold water fish species in this portion ofWhiskey Creek upstream from Lackie's Bush, BFNC believes that long-term plans for suchinfrastructure should allow for the possible upgrading of this watercourse in the future byremoving existing barriers to fish migration (e.g. debris barriers at the Fairview Rd. culvert,tiered gabion basket causeway on the former Radio Shack property east of Bayview Drive,etc.) and further stream naturalization. Also, protection and enhancement/restoration ofvegetated buffers along Whiskey Creek should be a requirement of the development of anysuch infrastructure. We believe this would be beneficial to the future health of Kempenfelt Bayand all of Lake Simcoe and consistent with the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan, particularlyChapter 6 and, without excluding other relevant portions of the Plan, specifically Sections 6.9,6.10, and 6.32 to 6.35.

5. OUTDATED PLANS Many of the background plans and studies referenced in the DraftEnvironmental Assessment Report are nearly or even more than 10 years old. As such, theydo not reflect more current policy documents such as the Growth Plan for the Greater GoldenHorseshoe and the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan. BFNC feels that this project should await the

also identified the need for a highway crossing connectingHarvie to Big Bay Point Road.

Bike lanes, transit and pedestrian linkages will be examinedin the phase of the Class EA and the City agrees that theseelements are very important. An active transportation plan isbeing developed as part of the Annexation Study.


The Whiskey Creek Master Drainage plan which wasapproved by Council recommends many of theenhancements you have listed. A permit will be requiredfrom the LSRCA prior to any development within theregulated area. Once of the five current Council goals is tomanage growth and protect the environment.

A thorough background review has been conducted for thisstudy prior to the determination of the alternative solutions.Policies and plans that have been referenced include, butnot limited to: the Growth Plan For The Greater GoldenHorseshoe, the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan, City ofBarrie’s Official Plan, and other relevant studies such as the



overall review of land use, servicing, environmental, natural heritage, transportation and otherissues through the City's Growth Management Planning Process which will properly respond tothese current policies, rather than spending $15 to 30 Million on this crossover or interchangeat this time.

Please keep us informed of the progress of this project through the municipal Class environmentalassessment process.

Highway 400 Crossings Feasibility Study (2004). HarvieRoad/Big Bay Point Road Feasibility Interchange Study(2006). The need for a crossing has been confirmed throughthis Class EA, the 2005 Highway 400 Crossing EA and the1999 Transportation MP. The preferred alternativerecommends a new crossing to provide better connectivityand relieve traffic congestion in the City and alsorecommends continued protection for a HighwayInterchange. The need for a Highway Interchange will befurther evaluated in the update to the TransportationMasterplan being undertaken as part of the comprehensiveAnnexation Study.


55 Traffic office was not provided with any traffic analysis report to review and provide comments orapproval before document was made public and put on City’s website. Notwithstanding our non-involvement we have issues with what was published since it does not meet some of our standards.

The report stated it is using future improvements identified in the City of Barrie’s 1999 TransportationMaster Plan. The same report stated that the 1999 Transportation Master Plan does not account forintensification under the Province of Ontario’s provincial growth plan or the future growth from therecently annexed lands from the Town of Innisfil. A sound conclusion cannot be made if information ongrowth plan is available but not included in the analysis of the study for improvements.

The analysis and evaluation of the alternatives using macro-simulation is acceptable at a strategic levelbut needs to be evaluated at a micro level to determine operational performance of the alternatives beingconsidered.

The weaving analysis provided in the report is a theoretical calculation and needs to be confirmedthrough micro-simulation to confirm operational performance.

MTO partnered with the City of Barrie to develop the microtransportation model and was involved in the developmentof the macro model. Meetings were held with MTO todiscuss the results of the micro & macro model before thedocuments were made public. In a meeting held on January25, 2011 MTO confirmed that there are no MTO standardsfor macro and micro modelling.

The Preferred Alternative Solution is for a crossing(Alternative 2) and continue land protection for a highwayinterchange. The IBI EMME/3 modelling and micromodelling does account for the provinces intensification andannexation lands interims of population and employment,but the transportation network used in both the macro andmicro models does not account for the transportationimprovements required outside of the study area.

Both the macro and micro modelling are being updated aspart update to the Transportation Masterplan beingundertaken as part of the Annexation Study. This study willcomprehensively assess the need for an interchange atHarvie/Big Bay/Highway 400 in consideration of all the othertransportation improvements required to accommodateintensification and annexation.

A weaving analysis was completed using the Aimsun microsimulation model. The results included in Appendix Ddepict highway speed, traffic volumes, corridor travel timeand delay and ramp queues wrt to the Do Nothing, HighwayCrossing and Highway Interchange alternatives. Additional



The evaluation by IBI using EMME 3 model as provided in the published report is again at a strategiclevel and does not provide a better understanding as to how it will affect operational performance. Theentire corridor needs to be assessed and conclusion cannot be drawn from the impact a new interchangewill have on just either Essa Road or Mapleview Drive.

The results reported with regards to Aimsun Micro-Simulation model states the results from the timesavings are not conclusive and therefore Traffic Office cannot sign off on in-conclusive results betweenthe alternatives being considered.

The results also stated that the queue lengths are significantly decreased with the introduction of aninterchange rather than a Highway 400 crossing but speed diagrams provided in the last progressmeeting as well as document published on the internet shows lower speeds with the fly-over optioncompared to the interchange option and lower speeds will lead to longer queue length and delays. Thestatement in the report therefore sort of contradicts the results shown graphically.

The maximum queues presented in the report particularly for the off ramp terminals indicate queuesexceeding the ramps storage lengths at almost all the interchanges. This could potentially lead to queuesspilling back onto the Highway. This will not be acceptable at this level given that we are planning for thefuture and already seeing a breakdown in the network system.

weaving analysis will be undertaken in the next phase ofthis Class EA.

The Emme/3 model extends from Highway 9 in the south toMidland in the north. Only the results for Mapleview andEssa were included in the report. The City’s TransportationMasterplan is being updated as part of the AnnexationStudy to assess what potential transportation improvementsare required outside of the study area for the crossing(Alternative 2) and interchange (Alternative 3).

Both the macro and micro modelling are being updated aspart update to the Transportation Masterplan beingundertaken as part of the Annexation Study. This study willcomprehensively assess the need for an interchange atHarvie/Big Bay/Highway 400 in consideration of all the othertransportation improvements required to accommodateintensification and annexation. This will provide more clarityon whether or not the Highway Interchange is actuallyneeded.

Without the interchange more traffic will stay on the highwaywhich may reduce speed with the highway crossing option.This issue will be further assessed in the next phases of thisClass EA. The new interchange will reduce queues atMapleview and Essa by provided more off-ramp capacity inthe south end of Barrie.

The micro and macro modelling didn’t assume a newinterchange at McKay Road (10th Line) so most of theannexation travel demands was forced to use eitherMapleview or Essa. This issue will be address as part of theAnnexation Study currently underway.

56 Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs provided a list of minimum first nation’s contacts including contacts at theLitigation Management and Resolutions Branch of the Indian and North Affairs Canada for furtherinformation on any outstanding claims.

Most of the First Nations listed have been contacted. Amore comprehensive First nations consultation will beundertaken in the next phases of this Class EA.

57 No Comments. Link to the comment sheet on the City of Barrie website wasemailed.

58 First I would like to address what I think is the most important issue for this area, the environmentalimpact of improvements. If you refer to the City of Barrie's Schedule A, Land Use map dated August2006 you will see that there is environmentally protected land that extends from my street,Megan Crescent, to Hwy 400. If I look at the City of Barrie's Engineering Department map dated October2010, the protected area has been downsized. How did this happen? How can protected land suddenly

Section 4.7 of the City of Barrie Official Plan F (see linkbelow) identifies the goals and permitted uses ofenvironmental protection. The area of Whiskey Creekbetween Megan Crescent and Highway 400 is alsoregulated by the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation



be changed like that? My home backs onto protected land. Can the City come along and change thatat any time? From what I gather from the Land Use map, the Whiskey Creek area is being protected.This is also a watershed area. What happens to the creeks and river impacts Lake Simcoe as theyeventually spill into it. So much has been done to clean up our lake and now you wish it interfere withthe rivers and creeks? I need you to address this for me please.

Have you ever walked around the Whiskey Creek area? You constantly here water trickling as you walkespecially the closer you get to the 400. The creek is not one defined waterway. The community hascarved out their own walking paths. People walk their dogs, go for evening strolls or take theirkids for nature walks. The area also has a large wildlife population. I think there needs to be a largebuffer zone between the protected area and the general industrial area. This would be mutually beneficialfor the environment and the residents in the area. This buffer zone should be parkland but remainvirtually untouched or remain as it is therefore minimizing the cost to the City.

Now to the road improvements, I am against any improvements to Harvie Road but understand thatsomething needs to be done. I have a few suggestions:

My first suggestion would be to extent Big Bay Point Road to the 400 and have on and off ramps for thatroad only. BBPR is already an industrial area and the environmental impact would be minimal. ParkPlace is on that side of the road and it's traffic challenges should be eased by this. Please do notinterfere with the open space in that area.

Hwy 400 needs to be widened from Mapleview to Duckworth to handle more traffic, a pipe dream I'msure. If the highway were wider any new interchanges would not have as great an impact on hwycongestion.

If for some reason you do move ahead with an over or under pass at Harvie & BBPR then do not allowtraffic to flow through Harvie Road. Please make Harvie Road a dead end road. The impact to thisresidential area would be devastating. Harvie Road would become just like Essa & Mapleview. Harviehas a daycare at that corner of Thrushwood and there is a public school at Veteran's as well. Veteran'sroad is already busy enough and with the business development on the street, Mapleview and Caplan itwill continue to get busier as each development is completed. In the most environmentally conscienceway possible have Bryne Road go from Mapleview to Essa but no access to Harvie. I hate the idea of amajor road crossing the protected area but it should be as close to the Hwy as possible minimizing theimpact.No industry should be allowed in the protected area, only the road.

The roads that parallel Hwy 400 to the east and west should be widened and used as service roads.Some of these roads are in terrible condition.

Authority (LSRCA) therefore any adjacent development /transportation improvements must obtain approval from theLSRCA. If the proposed transportation improvementsnegatively affects Whiskey Creek then the LSRCA will likelyrequire compensation works to offset loss of habitat withinthe Whiskey Creek Watershed.

Zoning protects the rights of property owners whilepromoting the general welfare of the community by dividingland into categories according to use, and settingregulations for these categories. The lands adjacent toWhiskey Creek and Highway 400 are currently zoned EP.The proposed alignment of the transportation improvementshave been shifted north in part to minimize the effects onWhiskey Creek.




Table 6-2: MTO Additional Comments & Responses

ID # Concerns of Respondents City Responses

Corridor:

1 p.2, Whiskey Ck. EA; MTO has not agreed to conveyance of regional storm under Hwy 400 (Refer theletter to the City, dated June 08, 2009 sent via email).

In a meeting on Nov 17, 2011 with MTO they advised thatthe concern is with the cost of the proposed regional culvert.MTO policy B100 required 1:100 year conveyance. Anycost sharing details will be discussed at detail design.

2 p.3, Project Team: I am in Corridor Management Section, not Planning. Class EA report has been updated.

3 p.17, Sec.3.15: redeveloped Service Centre in Barrie will not be open in January 2012. Noted.

4 p.23, Sec.5.6: this EA does not consider intensification or annexation plans of the City, and concludesthere are little benefits associated with either crossing or IC. EA in the end recommends crossing only,and defers consideration on an IC. Not sure what is being accomplished through this EA process.

The EMME/3 (macro) and Aimsun (micro) transportationmodeling completed as part this EA accounted forintensification and annexation interims of population andemployment but did not consider transportationimprovements outside of this EA study area. This EA isassessing the need for transportation improvements in thearea of Harvie Road, Big Bay Point Road and Highway 400.The macro and micro transportation modeling that wascompleted as part of this study is being updated as part ofthe annexation update to the Transportation Master Planand will be used in the next phases of this EA.

5 Not sure what horizon year has been used in this EA. The EA is based on the horizon year 2031.

6 EA makes no mention of area developments that may desire or be dependent on a new IC. Will Cityprotect property for a possible new IC from area developers?

The EMME/3 (macro) and Aimsun (micro) transportationmodeling completed as part this EA accounted for the fullbuild out of development in the south end of Barrie includingthe undeveloped commercial and industrial lands in andadjacent to the study area. The intention is to protectproperty for a possible new highway interchange.



7 Not sure this EA has completed the 20 year Essa Rd. EA assessment the City agreed to previously(when MTO agreed that Essa EA would be for 10 years only).

The 20 Year Essa Road assessment is being completed aspart of the annexation studies.

8 p.48 – 50 could be incorporated into a single page. Pages have been incorporated into a single page.

9 EA seems to end rather abruptly on p.59. Section 8.2 has been moved forward in the EA report.

10 App. F; MTO Memo of Nov. 24/10 is included; Responses to MTO Memo and June 28, 2011 MeetingMinutes are said to be included in App. F, but we could not find them.

MTO comments and responses have been included in item55 of Table 6-1. Reference to the MTO meeting minutesand memo in Appendix F have been removed.

Highway Engineering:

11 The proximity of the new IC to the existing Interchanges is a major issue with respect to traffic operationsand safety. The Hwy 400 curvilinear alignment just north of proposed Harvie IC will make things morecomplicated.

Section 5.4 of the Class EA report addresses the weavingissue but this issue will be examined in greater detail inPhase 3 & 4 of this Class EA or in a broader transportationplanning study such as the Simcoe Area TransportationStudy.

12 Is it worthwhile to take IC option to phase 3 considering major issues mentioned in report are notresolved yet and creating more uncertainty on other decisions?

The Preferred Alternative is a Highway Crossing butcontinuing to protect for a Highway Interchange. In Phase 3& 4 the issues around the Highway Interchange will befurther examined.

13 Option 2 and 3 are with different alignments, how the IC protection will work with option 2 alignment(preferred option).

The Preferred Alternative is a Highway Crossing. In phase3 & 4 overpass or underpass design alternative highwaycrossings will be examined wrt to protecting for a HighwayInterchange. So the alignment can be adjusted in Phase 3& 4 of this Class EA.

14 The project cost need to be review again considering the design/construction of nearby interchange. Costs will be further detailed in Phase 3 & 4 of this ClassEA.

15 MTO standards need to follow within MTO CAH. MTO standards will be followed with MTO CAH to developthe design alternatives.

16 Sec. 1.4 – Moin Khan – Project Manager Noted.



17 Sec. 2.1 – 2nd Para. Weaving conflict need to be reviewed for Harvie E-N Ramp with Essa S-EW ramp The weaving issue will be examined in further detail inPhase 3 & 4 of this Class EA.

18 Sec. 3.2 , Hwy 400: no details/intro provided for Park Place Additional wording has been added to the Class EA reportto introduce the Park Place development.

19 Sec. 3.3 we need to see the weaving results from the model The available weaving results from the Aimsun micro modelhave been graphically summarized in Appendix D in theESR. The weaving analysis will be reassessed in Phase 3 &4 of this Class EA or to be examined in a broadertransportation study such as the Simcoe Area WideTransportation Study

20 Sec. 3.7 Access to service center needs to be discussed A discussion of the existing and proposed Service Centreaccess and egress has been added to Section 3.7.

21 Sec. 3.16 Is the Rail crossing on Harvie is proposed as current Google pic is not showing the crossing The railing crossing exists and can be reviewed in GoogleEarth. Please see image below.



22 Sec. 3.17. Impact on Service center is not mentioned in “Impact on Business” The highway crossing preferred alternative should notimpact business at the Service Centre. The potentialimpacts as a result of an interchange on the access andingress are noted.

23 Sec. 3.17. Construction of Harvie crossing by 2015 is not realistic. Noted.

24 Sec. 5.4. The MH weaving analysis shown at pg.23 indicate the length of weaving sections are sufficientfor the total weaving traffic for the placement of the IC however IBI report (sec.5.5) proposed crossingconsidering operation concerns related to the proposed IC due to close spacing to Essa and MapleviewDr. Why the close spacing is not initiating the weaving issues. MH results show the sufficient weavingsections of 600 and 650 (at one location) however the PDR has weaving concerns (Sec.5.30, Page 172,volume 1) as follows:

MTO has been requested to provide the City with a copy ofthe weaving analysis which was completed as part of theHighway 400 PDR which in part led to the recommendationto close the service centre access and egress from Highway400. With the Service Centre staying open (currently underreconstruction) and if no interchange is constructed it is notclear how the service centre weaving issue will beaddressed. MTO will be reviewing this issue.

This weaving issue will be further examined in Phase 3 & 4of this Class EA.

25 Why the 600m is sufficient now when 850m triggered the closure of the service center ramps due toweaving issue.

MTO has been requested to provide the City with a copy ofthe weaving analysis which was completed as part of theHighway 400 PDR. The weaving analysis completed aspart of this report was based on MTO weaving design graphwhich has been included in Appendix D.

26 Sec. 5.6. Need to review the Aimsun model as its also representing the sufficient weaving lengths. Seecomments above.

The Aimsun micro model will be further reviewed in Phase 3& 4 of this Class EA.

27 pg 24 talked about the various traffic/planning studies, how these will be reflected in the analysis. The conclusions from the updated City of BarrieTransportation study will be included in the Phase 3 & 4report.



28 Traffic/Planning comments – not addressed in Phase 1 & 2 properly A traffic report will be completed in Phase 3 & 4 of thisClass EA.

29 MTO Comments on Draft EA - Appendices:Appendix – F:

i. City response to MTO comments is not included separately in theappendix F

ii. June 28th 2011, Meeting Minutes are not included in appendix FAppendix – D:

iii. Why the 8 lane analysis – Hwy 400 ramp queues (sec 5) are different than10/8 lanes table in sec 5 for 8 lanes. Is there any change in 8 laneanalysis?

Appendix – G:iv. Exhibit – 1: Do nothing showing Bryne Dr option with Harvie rd.v. Exhibit – 1 & 2: Rail intersection is not correctly shown and Harvie Rd from

Bryne Dr EA is shown

i. MTO comments and responses have beenincluded in item 55 of Table 6-1.

ii. Meeting minutes have been removed fromAppendix F.

iii. Appendix D has been updated to show the correctinformation.

iv. The Bryne Drive Alignment shown in Exhibit 1 isalignment that Council has approved whichis currently under review as part of anupdate to the Bryne Drive Class EA.

v. Exhibits 1, 2 & 3 show the existing rail crossing.The exhibits have been updated to alsoshow the proposed rail crossing.

Traffic Engineering:

30 A separate traffic report for this study must be submitted for our review. A separate traffic report will be submitted to MTO for reviewin Phase 3 & 4 of this Class EA.

31 Traffic comments in the November 24, 2010 Memo still holds and need to be addressed as part of this

phase of the EA regardless of whether the interchange option is deferred.

MTO comments and responses have been included in item55 of Table 6-1. Additional analysis will be completed inPhase 3 & 4 of this Class EA and as part of the update tothe City’s Transportation MP to address MTO’s concerns.

32 Pg 2, Sec 1.2: MTO’s Hwy 400 Planning and Preliminary Design Study identifies that Highway 400 may

be ultimately widened to 10 lanes at Harvie Rd/Big Bay Point Rd beyond 2011. The 8-lane cross-section

built on a 10-lane platform was proposed for the interim condition.

Noted.

33 Pg 3, Sec 1.4: Include Jeanne-Marie Deletsu, MTO Traffic Planning in the project team table. Jaenne-Marie Deletsu has been added to the project teamlist in Table 1.1 of Section 1.4.

34 Pg. 9, Sec 3.3: Why was existing traffic operations taken from the draft 2006 Harvie Rd/Big Bay Point

Rd Interchange Feasibility Study? This report was not finalized and the traffic data used is outdated as it

was collected in 2004/2005. In addition, the micro simulation model for the feasibility study was built

using Paramics software. For consistency, the same software used for existing conditions should be

Reference to the draft 2006 report has been removed andreplaced with the applicable information from the Aimsunmicro model analysis.



used in analysing future conditions. The AIMSUN micro simulation model used to analyse the future

conditions must have been used to analyse existing conditions as calibration and validation of existing

conditions before analysing the future conditions. It is therefore not clear why that result was not included

in the report since it is more current and more representative of existing conditions.

35 Pg 11, Sec 3.6: It appears the assessment of safety in the study area is based primarily on public

complaints. A more detailed assessment should be undertaken using available collision data.

A more detailed assessment of safety has been added toSection 3.6.

36 Pg 21, Sec 5: The traffic analysis has only been completed for 2031 which corresponds to a 20 year

horizon. The 10 year horizon should also be assessed as is typical for any EAs.

The 10 year horizon will be examined as part of the updatedto the City’s Transportation MP.

37 The report does not include any traffic analysis for the Do Nothing Alternative to assess the impacts of

the projected future volumes on the existing transportation network without any improvements. It is

therefore not clear from the report how the improvements to the network were established.

The Do Nothing alternatives was looked at as part of theEMME/3 (macro) and Aimsun (micro) transportationmodeling and the applicable information has been added toAppendix I.

38 The report does not include the future traffic operations at the study area intersections under the

analyzed scenarios.

Detailed evaluation of the Essa and Mapleview intersectionsat Highway 400 will be undertaken as part of the annexationupdate to the Transportation Master Plan. The future trafficoperations in the study area and at Essa and Mapleviewhighway interchanges will be assessed in Phase 3 & 4 ofthis Class EA.

39 The City of Barrie agreed to undertake the 20 year horizon traffic analysis for Essa Road as part of this

study. However, this analysis is not included in the report.

The 20 Year Essa Road assessment is being completed aspart of the annexation studies.

In general, over 70% of the respondents agreed that the “Do Nothing” option is not feasible and of that over 70% of the public agreedthat an interchange is necessary to alleviate congestion and improve the traffic in the area. However, approximately 40% of therespondent has expressed concern regarding the potential increase of traffic in the residential area as a result of an interchange. Othergeneral concerns include the increase in noise and air pollution and impacts to adjacent woodlots and the natural environment.



7 EVALUATION & ASSESSMENT OF DESIGN PLANNING SOLUTIONS

Following the PIC and in consideration of all concerns and comments raised by the reviewingagencies and public, the alternative planning solutions, namely, Alternatives 1, 2, and 3 wereevaluated and assessed by the Project Team, related reviewing agencies including the MTO,and relevant stakeholders while taking into considerations the feedbacks from the public inorder to identify a preferred solution.

The detail evaluation and assessment of the Alternatives by the Project Team based on theevaluation criteria outlined in Chapter 4 based on the physical, social/cultural, natural, andeconomical environments are summarized in Table 7-1 to Table 7-4 respectively. The overallevaluation of the alternatives is summarized in Table 7-5.



Table 7-1: Evaluation & Assessment of Alternatives (Physical)

Criteria Criteria Explanation Do Nothing Alternative #2Highway Crossing

Alternative #3Highway 400 Interchange

Physical

SafetyAbility to meet safety andtransportation designstandards and considerspill back on Highway 400

As traffic continues toincrease at Essa/400 andMapleview/400, safety maydeteriorate.

Proposed crossing will increase traffic onHarvie Road and Big Bay Point Roadand reduced east west congestion onEssa and Mapleview at Highway 400.The shorter overall travel times in thesouth end of Barrie will likely reduce thenumber of accidents.

Proposed Interchange will further increase traffic onHarvie Road and Big Bay Point Road and will reducecongestion at the Essa and Mapleview highwayinterchanges. This alternative will shorten overall traveltimes in the south end of Barrie the most and will likelyreduce the number of accidents. The queue lengths onthe highway off ramps would be reduced but potentialweaving conflicts may be introduced on Highway 400.

Traffic / TravelDemand

Accommodation ofexisting and future trafficdemands

Existing congestion at theEssa and Mapleviewhighway interchanges willcontinue to worsen. Futuretraffic demand cannot beaccommodated.

Connecting Big Bay Point Road andHarvie Rd. will address some existingand future traffic problems in the southend of Barrie at Highway 400 andaccommodate some future traffic growthfrom proposed development. Some eastwest traffic on Essa and Mapleview atHighway 400 will be diverted to the newcrossing at Big Bay Point Road andHarvie thereby reducing trafficcongestion.

A new Highway interchange at Big Bay Point Road andHarvie Rd. will address most of the existing and futuretraffic problems in the south end of Barrie at Highway400 and accommodate the most future traffic growthfrom proposed development. Some traffic currentlyusing the Essa and Mapleview highway interchangeswill be diverted to the new highway interchange at BigBay Point Road and Harvie thereby reducing trafficcongestion.

Roadway andHighway

Ability to accommodatefuture Highway 400 andCity of BarrieTransportationimprovements

Highway 400 will remaincongested and Harvie Roadand Big Bay Point Road willremain disconnected.

Compatible with both Barrie and MTOproposed transportation improvements

Additional transportation improvements should improveBarrie roads outside of study area but may introduce aweaving issue on Highway 400.

RailwayImpact of rail crossing ontransportationimprovements

No impact , no improvement An at grade railway spur crossing on BigBay Point Road east of Bayview willcause traffic delays and affect adjacenttraffic signals.

An at grade railway spur crossing on Big Bay PointRoad east of Bayview will cause traffic delays andaffect adjacent traffic signals. It may also cause abackup onto Highway 400 and affect the mainlineoperation of the Highway.





Physical

Transit,pedestrian andcyclists etc.

Ability to AccommodateAlternative TransportationModes

Will not improve transitservices. No additionalfacilities for othertransportation modes.

Connecting Big Bay Point / Harvie canimprove transit operations, facilitatepedestrians and cyclists access andallow for additional modes ofTransportation. This will be furtherassessed in Phase 3 & 4 of the ClassEA.

A new Highway Interchange will not further improvedtransit over the crossing alternative given that BarrieTransit does not use Highway 400 but it will reducecongestion at Essa and Mapleview which currentaffects transit routes. This alternative will also allow foradditional modes of Transportation but there may beweaving/safety issues between the bike lanes and thehighway ramps. This will be further assessed in Phase3 & 4 of the Class EA.

Utilities Impact to existing utilitiesin the study area

No impact to existing utilities Grading changes may have impact tounderground bell, gas watermain andfibre optic. Although the proposed roadalignment was shifted north to minimizethese potential impacts.

Grading changes and highway ramps will have thegreatest impact to underground bell, gas watermainand fibre optic. Although the proposed road alignmentwas shifted north to minimize these potential impacts.

Overall(Physical) -

LEGEND: Least Desirable Neutral Most Desirable



Table 7-2: Evaluation & Assessment of Alternatives (Social / Cultural)



Social & Cultural Environment

Property Impacts Property required to implementtransportation improvements

No impact to property. Some property required. Theassociated grading impacts will affectadjacent properties mostly north ofthe existing Harvie and Big Bay PointRoad alignment. (Approx. propertyimpacted = 3.25 hectare)

Interchange will require moreproperty and, with grading, will havethe greatest impact on adjacentproperties on both the north andsouth side of Harvie and Big BayPoint Road. (Approx. propertyimpacted = 10.0 hectare)

DevelopmentOpportunities

Improve highway / roadway accessto lands in and adjacent to thestudy area

Mapleview and Essa Highwayinterchanges are currently operatingclose to capacity, which will limitdevelopment and access opportunity forlands in and adjacent to the study area.

Reduced east /west congestion onMapleview and Essa at Highway 400will increase developmentopportunities in and adjacent to thestudy area.

Reduced east /west congestion onMapleview and Essa at Highway400 with additional access toHighway 400 will increasedevelopment opportunities the mostin and adjacent to the study area.

EmergencyServices

Improve access for emergencyservices

Emergency response time will benegatively affected by increased trafficcongestion at the Essa and MapleviewHighway interchanges.

Connecting Big Bay Point / Harviewill allow better east west access forEmergency Services across Highway400 but will not reduce the trafficcongestion at the Mapleview andEssa highway off ramps.

Highway interchange at Big BayPoint / Harvie will reducedeast/west congestion acrossHighway 400 and reduce the trafficcongestion at the Mapleview andEssa highway off ramps.

Impact of trafficcongestion onquality of life

Transportation improvement onquality of life

Traffic congestion in the south end ofBarrie will continue to worsen over time.and lower the quality of life of users.

Traffic congestion in the south end ofBarrie will be reduced but potentialincrease in local traffic in residentialareas south of Harvie and west ofHighway 400.

Traffic congestion in the south endof Barrie will be reduced the mostbut potential increase in local trafficin residential areas south of Harvieand west of Highway 400.

Access to property Improve access to adjacent landsAccess to lands in and adjacent to thestudy area will continue to be negativelyimpacted by traffic congestion at Essa& Mapleview highway interchange.

Connecting Big Bay Point / Harvie willimprove access to property in andadjacent to the study area but accessmay be limited by congestion on the

A new highway interchange at BigBay Point / Harvie will improveaccess to property in and adjacentto the study area the most by





Social & Cultural Environmentexisting Mapleview and Essa highwayoff-ramps.

providing access from the newinterchange and by reducing trafficcongestion at Essa & Mapleview.

Archaeology /Heritage / Cultural

Impact to archaeological sites inthe study area

No impact to archaeological potential inthe study area Potential impacts to archaeological in

the study area due to widening of BigBay Point and Harvie and due toshifting the alignment to the north.

Greatest potential impacts toarchaeological sites in the studyarea due to widening of Big BayPoint / Harvie, which will shift thealignment to the north, and from theproposed new highway ramps.

Noise Increase in noise level

No change to existing noise level Increases in traffic will increase noiselevels in the area. Impacts minimizedby shifting the alignment to the north.

Increases in traffic will increasenoise levels in the area the most inpart because of the additional noisefrom the highway off-ramps.Impacts minimized by shifting thealignment to the north.

Overall (Social) -




Table 7-3: Evaluation & Assessment of Alternatives (Natural Environment)

Criteria CriteriaExplanation Do Nothing Alternative #2

Highway CrossingAlternative #3

Highway 400 Interchange

Natural Environment

Vegetation / WildlifeHabitats

Impact to WhiskeyCreek and woodlots

No impact to the creek andwoodlots

Crossing will have grading impact toWhiskey Creek and woodlots,therefore may require tree removalsand impact habitats.

An interchange with the addition of the highway rampswill require more grading, therefore, more impact tohabitats in Whiskey Creek and woodlots.

Watercourse /Stormwater

Impact towatercourse andstormwatermanagement

No increase in pavement orgrading necessary thereforeno impact to existingstormwater management orwatercourses.

Additional pavement will increaserunoff. Impact to Whiskey Creekminimized by shifting the alignment tothe north.

Additional pavement will increase runoff the most in partbecause of the additional runoff from the new proposedhighway off ramps. Impact to Whiskey Creek minimizedby shifting the alignment to the north but additionalimpacts from the Highway ramps.

Overall (Natural) -



Table 7-4: Evaluation & Assessment of Alternatives (Economic)



Economic

ConstructionCosts Cost of construction

No construction required $15 million to $20 million. $30 Million to $35 Million.

Land Costs Costs for land acquisition /Land Values

No land is required Land required to widen Big BayPoint / Harvie and for the proposedalignment shift to the north.(Approx. Land Value = 7.0 million)

Land required to widen Big Bay Point / Harvie, forthe proposed alignment shift to the north and forthe new highway ramps. . (Approx. Land Value =21.5 million)

Maintenance /OperationExpenditures

Costs for maintenanceand operation

Maintenance / operatingcosts will remain the same,however, operational costsassociated with congestionat Mapleview and Essaremain.

Crossing has Low to moderatemaintenance / operating costs.Some maintenance savings atMapleview and Essa.

Interchange will result in moderate to significantmaintenance/operating costs. The mostmaintenance savings at Mapleview and Essa.

Overall(Economic) -




Table 7-5: Evaluation & Assessment of Alternatives (Overall)

ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION 1Do Nothing:Continue to operate the transportation facilityin its current form. No consideration foradditional measures to address long-termproject specific problems or opportunities.

ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION 2Highway 400 Crossing:A new 7 lane crossing of Highway 400would connect Harvie Road to Big BayPoint Road

ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION 3Highway 400 Interchange:In addition to the Highway 400 crossing, accessto and from the Highway would be provided

Physical

Does not address any of the existing trafficdemand problems.

Addresses some traffic demandproblems in the south end of Barrie andallows for some future developmentpotential. Reduced traffic trafficcongestion at Essa and Mapleview.

Addresses more of the traffic demand problemsin the south end of Barrie and allows for themost future development potential. Addressesmore of the existing traffic demand problems andconstraints at adjacent interchanges (MapleviewDrive and Essa Road) but only a little better thanthe Highway Crossing. Potential negativeweaving impacts on Highway 400.

Social /Cultural

No disruption to the corridor, however doesnot address negative impacts of existingcongestion.

Greater potential for heritage/archaeological impacts. Some negativeimpact on adjacent residential areas.

Greatest potential for heritage/ archaeologicalimpacts. The most negative impact on adjacentresidential areas.

NaturalNo Impact on the natural environment, butcongestion at Essa and Mapleview willcontinue to affect noise and air quality.

Some impact on the adjacent woodlotsand Whiskey Creek due to roadwidening and alignment shift to thenorth.

The most impact on the adjacent woodlots andWhiskey Creek due to road widening, alignmentshift to the north and the addition of highwayramps.

Economic No cost, but costs associated withcongestion remain.

$15 to $20 Million. Costs do not includeutilities relocation. Land Value atapproximately 4.9 million.

$30 to $35 Million. Costs do not include utilitiesrelocation. Land Value at approximately 8.9million.

Overall




7.1 Discussion

As evident from the evaluation, the “Do Nothing” option is not ideal because it will not addressthe traffic issues in the area. Although both Alternatives 2 and 3 will improve traffic, providebetter connectivity and accessibility, and allow for future growth within Barrie, the associatecosts and environmental impacts for an interchange will be more substantial when compared toAlternative 2, the crossing option, hence the overall evaluation yields that Alternative 2 is thepreliminary preferred planning solution.

According to the evaluation, recommendations were made through consultation with the ProjectTeam, the MTO and other reviewing agencies and are outlined in Chapter 8. Therecommendations will be submitted to City Council for approval. The key stakeholders,attendees of the PIC, and those individuals and parties that requested to be informed of theprogress of the project will be notified by mail of the date that Council may approved thepreferred solution so that deputations to Council can be made.

Upon approval of the preferred solution, the study may continue in accordance with Phases 3and 4 of the Class EA process which will develop and evaluate alternative design concepts tomitigate concerns raised in Phase 2 of the EA process and to implement the preferred solution.Additional public consultation and coordination with City of Barrie staff and Council will occurthroughout these stages, culminating with a preferred design alternative for the transportationimprovements.

harvie road/big baypoint road/highway 400 c e … hall/environmental... · 1.4 the project team...

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