Barrhaven residents hope new promised interchange can ease traffic woes
Barrhaven residents are relieved that the provincial government is promising to fund a new highway interchange at the 416 and Barnsdale Road.
"In the past few years, the last dozen years, traffic has been extraordinarily painful," says Muhamed Karkari, chair of the Half Moon Bay Community Association. "We've had pinpoints all across the entire community. And the fact of the matter is that getting in and out of our community is getting worse and worse every month, not just every year, every month."
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
Karkari says a source of traffic is not enough access points to Highway 416, forcing many to drive through the community, blocking roads. He calls the interchange announcement "critical." He says, "We have been fighting for this for years and years. Always holding on hope that this would happen. And we are elated that the province has finally agreed to make this happen. So this is something that's essential for not just our community here, it's essential for the whole city."
Ontario Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy made the announcement during his delivery of the Ford Government's budget at Queen's Park on Tuesday, stating this would help "support South Ottawa's growing population and jobs."
Lisa MacLeod is the MPP for the area, and says there will be many benefits to the new interchange. "It's so important that we're getting a Barnsdale Road exit onto the 416 for a variety of reasons. One is we have been dealing with enormous growth both in our residential but also commercial sectors in the community. It will be convenient for my constituents."
MacLeod says, "I think just as importantly, it's going to be a good economic driver. We are the gateway between Kanata and Kemptville and into the downtown core of the city when you're on the 416. So I think you're going to be able to move goods and people much more quickly."
MacLeod is referring the new Amazon distribution centre, as well as the many homes being built in the area.
The timeline or cost is still not clear on the new interchange, but MacLeod says the city and the province will work together on construction and design, and the environmental assessment is already underway.
Area councilor David Hill says this interchange is long-awaited and can't come soon enough.
"I was ecstatic. This is a huge infrastructure investment in the community," Hill says. "It's been needed for a long time. And certainly one of the top issues that many of the leaders here in the community have been fighting for several years."
Hill says about 3,500 residents or about 1,500 households move to the community a year.
"It needs to be balanced with the infrastructure investments as well as the residential. And I know certainly a lot of the folks that I speak to out here in the community when we talk about new developments, their biggest frustration is that the infrastructure is not keeping pace with the rate of residential development," he said. "And so this is going to be a really important investment in the community for access for the residents, but also for our economic growth."
Right now, Barrhaven residents can only access the 416 from Bankfield Road or Fallowfield Road; the new Barnsdale interchange would be in the middle, easing congestion.
The provincial government is promising to fund a new highway interchange at the 416 and Barnsdale Road in Barrhaven.
Commuters like Mariella Dibello say traffic is only getting worse in the area. "It's pretty bad. Not a lot of streets to feed all these houses. I've lived in Barrhaven, actually, my whole life, so it's really getting bad."
Dibello says the interchange will make a big difference "It's a lot of traffic. It'll definitely help a lot. I can't wait."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Freeland leaves capital gains tax change out of coming budget implementation bill, here's why
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Ontario woman surprised after 20-year-old fines suddenly tank credit score
An Ontario woman says that she was shocked when provincial fines from 20 years ago suddenly tanked her credit score last week, but the situation may not be as unusual as it seems, according to at least one debt expert.
Anger can harm your blood vessel function, study shows
Stress and anger can have a negative impact on cardiovascular health, studies have shown. New research points to just how the mechanism may work.
A 98-year-old in Ukraine walked miles to safety from Russians, with slippers and a cane
A 98-year-old woman in Ukraine who escaped Russian-occupied territory by walking almost 10 kilometres (six miles) alone, wearing a pair of slippers and supported by a cane has been reunited with her family days after they were separated while fleeing to safety.
Will an 'out of sight, out of mind' cellphone policy make a difference in Ontario schools?
Ontario’s cellphone ban in schools has been met with mixed reaction, with some teachers concerned about constant policing of kids and experts applauding the change as necessary for student learning.
A Utah couple accidentally shipped their cat with an Amazon return. A week -- and 3 'miracles' -- later, they were on a plane to meet a stranger
The Amazon returns employee wasn't at work the day one of her colleagues at a California warehouse found a small, furry stowaway in a box mailed six days earlier from Utah. But Brandy Hunter got the call anyway.
Dueling protesters clash at UCLA hours after police clear pro-Palestinian demonstration at Columbia
Dueling groups of protesters clashed Wednesday at the University of California, Los Angeles, grappling in fistfights and shoving, kicking and using sticks to beat one another. Hours earlier, police burst into a building at Columbia University that pro-Palestinian protesters took over and broke up a demonstration that had paralyzed the school while inspiring others.
Poilievre kicked out of Commons after calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko'
Testy exchanges between the prime minister and his chief opponent ended with the Opposition leader and one of his MPs being ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday -- and the rest of Conservative caucus walking out of the chamber in protest.
Avalanche eliminate Winnipeg Jets from playoffs with 6-3 road win
Mikko Rantanen's first two goals of the playoffs propelled the Colorado Avalanche to a 6-3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday that clinched their opening-round playoff series in five games.