Photo taken by Lindsey Harren at the announcement on Monday, May 2, 2022. From left to right: Belleville councillors Garnet Thompson, Chris Malette, Paul Carr, Belleville Mayor Mitch Panciuk, Lennox and Addington Warden Ric Bresee, Hastings Lennox and Addington MPP Daryl Kramp, Bay of Quinte MPP Todd Smith, Quinte West Deputy Mayor Jim Alyea, Belleville councillor Bill Sandison, Quinte West Mayor Jim Harrison, Quinte West Councillor David McCue, Quinte West councillor Karen Sharpe.
Local representatives joined Bay of Quinte MPP Todd Smith this morning near Millennium Parkway in Belleville for an announcement about expanding Highway 401.
The Conservative party’s budget released last week, includes plans to continue to expand the number of lanes on Highway 401 from Oshawa to Brockville. The plans will only continue if the Conservatives win the election in June.
“When the local priorities came out from Belleville Mayor Mitch Panciuk, Quinte West Mayor Jim Harisson, the councils, and the Eastern Ontario Mayor’s Council as well, the number one priority that they shared with our provincial government was widening [the highway] from four lanes, two in each direction, to six lanes, three in each direction because of the growth we are seeing in the area,” said MPP Todd Smith, who also serves as the Minister of Energy.
Another element in the plan is the approval to develop the Belleville East Arterial Route, known as BEAR.
Smith added that he was a part of a local bus tour in September with Caroline Mulroney, the Minister of Transportation. Smith said that he and his colleagues showed Mulroney first hand why the BEAR route needed to be included in the Ministry of Transportation’s East Region Master Plan.
Belleville Mayor Mitch Panciuk noted in his address today, that the City’s North East Industrial Park is almost at capacity and he welcomed the news that the government plans to add another Highway 401 interchange in the east end. Panciuk said that it would allow Belleville’s industrial park to grow further east and enable trucks to get through easier. He said the City has long had issues with trucks going down Cannifton road.
Quinte West Mayor Jim Harisson, said that all of these projects are needed. He stressed that Highway 401 should be expanded right through until Cornwall keeping in mind the safety aspect as well.
A timeline for the project has not been released. The Conservatives’ current plans also note that environmental assessments need to be done.
The province noted that the bridge that needs to be replaced is in the Port Hope region. Land acquisitions would need to be made in Belleville, Napanee and Brockville.
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