Highway 52 & Powerline Rd W Intersection Improvements EA

The City of Hamilton has initiated a Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (EA) process to develop and assess alternative solutions to address traffic safety and related concerns raised by the local community both at and immediately adjacent to, the intersection of Highway 52 and Powerline Road West.

The intersection of Highway 52 and Powerline Road West is situated in a rural area, east of the Copetown neighborhood and approximately 3 km north of the Provincial Highway 403 interchange. Highway 52 is a north-south arterial road that traverses rural lands in the western portion of the City of Hamilton. It is a designated truck route with a posted speed limit of 70 km/hr. Powerline Road West is a connecting East-West rural arterial road with a posted speed limit of 60 km/hr. Due to topography and the presence of other physical features, Powerline Road East is offset and intersects with Highway 52 approximately 440 m to the South of Powerline Road West. On the East side of Highway 52 (immediately opposite Powerline Road West), a parking lot entrance exists. This lot serves users of an inter-city hiking and biking corridor known as the Hamilton to Brantford Rail Trail. The actual rail trail crosses Highway 52 approximately 100 m to the South of the intersection.

In addition to physical constraints, there are environmental, ecological and heritage considerations associated with this location. The subject location is also impacted by Provincial designations under the Greenbelt Plan, Niagara Escarpment Plan, and regulations of the Conservation Authority.

Concerns with traffic speed on Highway 52 date back to the early 2000’s and in 2008 a Municipal Class Environmental Assessment was conducted that made recommendations for implementing a roundabout at Jerseyville Road. More recently, in early 2022, residents approached the City to voice ongoing operational and safety concerns. In July of 2022, Public Works Committee directed staff to include funds in the draft 2023 budget to complete a Municipal Class Environmental Assessment to fully investigate the feasibility of implementing a roundabout for Highway 52 and Powerline Road West.

Public consultation is important in this study. The City of Hamilton is hosting the first of two Public Information Centres (PICs) for this study. The purpose of the first PIC will be to gather input and feedback from the local community at the onset of the project. A second PIC will be held at a later date to review the Study’s alternative solutions and the associated evaluation process.