The long awaited Morriston bypass—a highway project aimed at easing traffic congestion through the village may finally be getting underway. The project was first announced three years ago but now it looks like the Ford Government has actually allocated some money.
In addition to relieving one of the worst traffic bottlenecks in Ontario—25,000 cars use the 2-lane section of Highway 6 daily—the bypass will improve highway connections between Hamilton and Guelph and the KW area. For more than 40 years Highway 6 North has earned the reputation as a “killer highway” because of the number of fatalities that have occurred over the years and the proposed bypass will relieve congestion and hazard from the built-up section of the highway immediately south of the 401.
The plan to expand Highways 6 and 401 from Hamilton to Hwy 401 includes:
• Widening Highway 401 from six to ten lanes, including two managed lanes between Highway 6 North and Highway 6 South;
• Constructing two new interchanges and improvements to existing interchanges; and,
• A new five-kilometre multi-lane divided highway, bypassing the community of Morriston.
While the bypass has been under discussion since the mid 1990’s it took a concentrated lobbying push from the Morriston Bypass Business and Economic Development Coalition to get the project moving. The construction was originally scheduled to begin construction in 2019.
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