More stall and study on roads and bridges

“We believe that the provincial government has a responsibility to help ensure safe, well-maintained rural roads and bridges.” – Dalton McGuinty

Four years after campaigning for rural votes with this position, it’s worth wondering where this “belief” has gone since 2003.

Now in 2007, people across rural Ontario question where government “responsibility” lies with respect to our rural transit – our roads and bridges.

Take a drive through our Counties and it doesn’t take long to find evidence of the lack of attention government has paid to our rural transportation infrastructure problems.

Case in point, we recently lost the Concession 8 South Walsingham bridge over Big Creek. And last week, the Stirling Street native protest in Caledonia does not bode well for replacing the Stirling Street bridge torched by arsonists a year ago April.

And you can watch as traffic lines up on either side of the Cayuga bridge to make way for short term repairs following a July 23rd inspection that found corrosion advanced enough to require immediate action.

Upstream the York bridge traffic delays continue.

At Caledonia, the historic – but sadly deteriorating – nine span bridge across the Grand continues to be the subject of more studies and stalling as various government ministries toss the issue back and forth.

Meanwhile, plans have also been announced for the Highway-6 Boston Creek bridge between Caledonia and Hagersville as well as Delhi’s Big Creek bridge.

Just outside of our boundaries, the stall and study technique is securely in place for the planned Mid-Pen corridor – an essential transportation conduit initiated by the previous government.

During pre-budget consultations this past February, MPP Tim Hudak spelled out the waste and delay inherent in the current government’s Mid-Pen approach:

“Originally, the highway would likely have been completed by, I think, 2010, or 2012 at the latest. The current government chose to basically toss out all of the previous studies in support of the mid-peninsula corridor and then delayed about two and a half to three years. Now they have announced that they’re going to do those old studies all over again. That’s a waste of taxpayers’ dollars and it has effectively delayed this corridor significantly.”

Mr. Hudak subsequently saw his motion to, “commit sufficient funding …to accelerate the mid-peninsula corridor process”, overturned by the Finance Committee’s government majority.

And while we understand  that study and research are essential components of any rehabilitation, replacement or new infrastructure plan, one wonders – given this government’s track record – if this road will lead to actual improvements, piece-meal repair, or further deterioration as we all wait for leadership to fix our broken rural routes.

The results of the current stall and study approach are clear across rural Ontario: we see our infrastructure deficit in every crumbling bridge, neglected road and non-existent rural transit system.

One important step towards turning things around would see gasoline and fuel taxes spent the way they are supposed to be spent: on our roads, bridges, highways and transit systems. Despite our growing infrastructure needs and their impact on our economy, the Ontario Government continues to collect more money in fuel taxes than it spends on our roads and public transit – nowhere is this more true than in rural Ontario.

There is no shortage of transportation needs in Ontario – there is a shortage of action.  It’s time for action!