The study cannot determine impacts of this nature until after a preferred corridor is selected and the detailed planning stages are well underway. It is anticipated the study team may be in a position to discuss crossing road treatments in the fall of this year. All provincial highways are subject to varying degrees of access control as regulated under the Public Transportation and Highway Improvements Act. The degree of access limitations is generally directly related to the highway classification, type, role and function. All municipal jurisdictions and emergency services will be consulted on access proposals and external roadway connections when the study focuses on detailed route planning activities.

The study will explore and evaluate various access alternatives as they relate to the highway classification, type, role and function, provincial policies and standards. When the study reaches the point where these alternatives are developed, municipal staff and emergency services will be asked to provide input.

In Perth County, Highway 7/8 is a major arterial provincial highway and is currently designated as a controlled access highway. The role and function of the highway supports inter city travel and is part of a broader provincial system that places efficient mobility and safety in high regard. This study is not proposing a fully controlled access 400-series style freeway in Perth County. Limiting access points wherever possible along major arterial roadways provides direct benefits in ensuring the safe and efficient movement of people and goods. In the hierarchy of road systems, roles and functions of collectors to the provincial network, such as County and Township roadways, generally place more emphasis on land access than mobility because traffic volumes are lower, trips are often shorter distances and travel speeds are often lower.

MTO policies and standards recommend for public safety reasons that when traffic volumes are expected to exceed 20,000 vehicles per day, separation of opposing lanes of traffic by means of a barrier should be considered. In Perth County traffic forecasts along Highway 7/8, to the year 2031, do not reach this threshold; therefore median barrier and hence a fully controlled access highway would not be required except along new alignments. Since Highway 7/8 is controlled access, MTO will continue to deny severances that typically result in new access locations, and continue to improve safety and mobility by implementing access management plans that strive to eliminate access wherever possible while at the same time attempting to preserve the fabric of adjacent lands and associated businesses. The same would be true for a new Highway 8 link west of Highway 7. Forecasted traffic volumes along Highway 8 are significantly lower than Hwy 7/8 however a new linkage would likely be designated controlled access and a plan to manage access would be developed with the input of the municipality and stakeholders.

Similar to the answer for the first question, it is too early in the study as we have not made a decision on a preferred corridor yet.

If a preferred corridor is identified along any existing roadway, there is a high likelihood some trees will be affected? At this time it is too early in the study to quantify specific impacts to trees as a preferred corridor and route have not been identified or assessed.

At this time it is too early to quantify any impacts to heritage resources. In August 2007 the study completed a Stage 1 Built Heritage Study that included research from previous reports such as Description of Man-Made Heritage in the Environment: Preliminary Report by Paul Dilse (1981) as well as input from the City of Stratford's Heritage Committee and Oxford County's Heritage Resources Inventory. Additional input was also provided from Archivists from Perth County and Oxford County, and various staff members from the Townships of Wilmot, Blanford Blenheim, Perth South, Perth East, City of Stratford and Regional Municipality of Waterloo. Some of the study's research findings are summarized in Section 5.0 of Report F (Part 1).

Similar to the answer for the first question, it is too early in the study as we have not made a decision on a preferred corridor yet. No interchanges, intersections, overpasses or bridge locations or alternatives have been developed. This is a detailed planning exercise that will follow a decision on a preferred corridor.

The future need for expansion to Highway 7/8 has been identified as part of the MTO’s strategic planning for decades.

In 1975, a new route for Highway 7&8 was designated, based on a study that recommended a future plan for a new four-lane highway with a southerly alignment bypassing Stratford and proceeding easterly to New Hamburg. As a result of objections from the municipalities and the agricultural community, the route was reassessed between 1979 and 1982. Due to further opposition, and with the agreement of the municipalities, the Ministry of Transportation revoked the designated route in 1982.

More recently, in December 2002, MTO concluded a Corridor Assessment for Highway 7&8 which identified a future need for safety and operational improvements and increased highway capacity, and recommended a Study Design be initiated as a first step in the Environmental Assessment (EA) process. The Study Design, completed in early 2006, confirmed the need and justification for safety, operational and capacity improvements for the Highway 7&8 corridor and recommended a future Corridor Planning and EA Study be initiated. In August 2006, the Minister of Transportation announced that MTO would commence the Corridor Planning and Class EA Study in early 2007. Subsequent to this announcement, the study was placed on the ministry’s Southern Highways Program.

In February of 2007, MTO retained the services of Totten Sims Hubicki (TSH) to assist MTO in completing the above Study with the objective of developing a long-term strategy and preliminary design that addresses the identified transportation needs to 2031, and obtain the necessary environmental clearance to implement the recommended strategy. This Study is currently in the preliminary planning stage and is expected to be completed in 2010.

One aspect of the overall strategy will be the determination of when and where the identified safety, operational and capacity improvements should be implemented over the 30-year planning horizon. An implementation strategy will be developed for the recommended improvements; however, the actual construction timing will be subject to the availability of funding as the forecasted needs become realized.

The traffic numbers shown in Reports C and D for years prior to 2008 reflect actual traffic count data in Ministry of Transportation publications. Other data sources for years prior to 2008 (such as Census Data) also reflect existing published information and the individual data sources are referred to in the reports. Projections of future traffic volumes presented in the reports were developed by the study team based on official forecasts of growth from a number of information sources, all of which are referenced in the reports. Future growth forecasts for the Perth County area were based on County forecasts prepared by the Ontario Ministry of Finance in 2007, and reflect area demographic patterns including births, deaths, and migration patterns. Allocations of growth to the area municipalities within Perth County, as summarized in Exhibit 3.2 of Report C, reflect the recent low growth rates that have been observed in many of the rural municipalities. Allocations of future County growth to the Stratford area are based on the Stratford Official Plan, the Northwest / Northeast Secondary Plan studies, and the historical share of County Population that Stratford represents.