Residents of Beamsville cannot wait for the major long term Niagara Escarpment Crossing Project (new truck route Park Road (Bartlett Avenue) Grimsby) to be designed and constructed before action is taken regarding trucks in the downtown urban area. As such, the Town's Transportation Master Plan (TMP) assessed short-term solutions to find viable routes for trucks to avoid the downtown area of Beamsville. The Town's TMP recommends that Bartlett Road and Durham Road become alternate routes to redirect truck traffic out of the downtown area of Beamsville. The proposed Beamsville alternate route recommended is shown below.

Proposed Alternate Beamsville Truck Route

The proposed alternate Beamsville Truck Route entails the following:

• Through trucks traveling north on Mountain Road should be directed to turn east on King Street and then north on Bartlett Road on their way to the QEW.
• Trucks should then travel Bartlett Road until they reach South Service Road and then travel west to the Ontario Street at QEW interchange. This alternate route is illustrated by the yellow line in Figure 1.0 shown above.
• In addition to improving Bartlett Road, the intersection of Mountain Road at King Street also would need to be improved to facilitate northbound right turns of trucks from Mountain Road onto King Street.
• Trucks traveling east on King Street should be directed to turn north onto Durham Road and then east on South Service Road.
• Trucks then could access the QEW or continue South Service Road to Bartlett Road and eventually back to King Street to head further east.
• Trucks exiting the QEW at Ontario Street should be directed to South Service Road and use Bartlett Road or Durham Road to access King Street. This route is illustrated by the blue line in Figure 1.0 shown above.

Beamsville Truck Route Implementation Study Completion

This project has been successfully completed, with the report's recommendations, including signage and paint marking changes, fully implemented. Additionally, these improvements and recommendations from this report will effectively enhance the Niagara Escarpment Crossing IEA.

Study Overview

To move forward with the Beamsville Truck Route short term solution, the Town undertook an implementation study. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the proposed alternate route and identify deficiencies related to truck safety, traffic operations, utilities, street lighting, active transportation, and roadway geometry that may pose a challenge to trucks diverted to the by-pass.

The results of this study include the mitigation measures recommended and their associated preliminary cost estimates. This study informs the detailed design and construction phases required to implement the alternate route. This study also encompasses key issues related to complete streets and Vision Zero.

The Town of Lincoln led the Beamsville Truck Route Implementation Study in partnership with the Niagara Region, and with IBI Group leading as the prime consultant for transportation engineering and planning.

The long-term solution to improve goods movement in the west portion of the Niagara Region is to implement a new north-south truck route escarpment crossing. The Niagara Region Transportation Master Plan identified the need for a new north-south escarpment crossing linking the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) with Highway 20. A new north-south Niagara Escarpment Crossing is necessary to offset the negative economic, environmental, and safety implications of high commercial vehicle traffic travelling through urban and residential areas within the communities of Lincoln and Grimsby.

The Niagara Region is leading this long-term solution in partnership with the Town of Lincoln, Town of Grimsby, and Township of West Lincoln. The new Niagara Escarpment Crossing is a significant long-term project estimated to cost $150 million requiring financial support from various levels of government. The Town of Lincoln Council, along with Grimsby, West Lincoln and the Niagara Region have been advocating with different levels of government for support on this key infrastructure project for West Niagara. Most recently at the 2021 Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) Conference in January, Town of Lincoln Council along with Grimsby, West Lincoln and the Niagara Region delegated to Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation to discuss this important project.

In terms of next steps, the Niagara Region is completing the terms of reference for initiating an Individual Environmental Assessment (IEA) Study for the Niagara Escarpment Crossing Project.

Recommendation

The new north-south truck route is recommended to be strategically positioned between the QEW and potential Smithville Bypass of Regional Road 20. A transportation crossing in this area would have a profound impact, as it would enhance the accommodation of commercial vehicles and other transportation vehicles, ensuring greater safety for local communities and facilitating efficient commercial operations. Moreover, it could also boost the transportation system's capacity, redundancy, and resiliency, while ensuring effective movement of goods and people in Niagara.

External Involvement

The Township of West Lincoln is considering the potential linkage of this preferred truck route as part of the 2019-initated Smithville Urban Boundary Expansion Study. As the Township of West Lincoln is expected to grow to meet regional/provincial growth targets, considerations will be made on the exact placement of the bypass and opportunities to connect the Smithville Bypass to the proposed Niagara Escarpment Crossing at the northerly edge of the Smithville Urban Boundary limit.