There's reason for renewed optimism in Sarnia's 40-year effort to have Highway 40 widened between Highway 402 and Churchill Road.
Sarnia's deputy mayor, Mike Stark, said the transportation ministry was "far more receptive" this week to their calls to four-lane the stretch.
"We do not see there's any possibility that the highway should not be twinned, similar to what the province is doing with Highway 3 in the Chatham-Kent area," said Stark. "The ministry has agreed to a follow-up meeting and subject to the COVID-19 restrictions, whether or not that will be an in-person meeting versus another ZOOM meeting, the point is that we actually have a contact person at the ministry who is going to follow this up and look specifically at our request."
Stark said the city delegation again stressed how hazardous chemicals are transported daily through the 6.5-kilometre bottleneck that's in close proximity to residential development, Lambton College and the Western Sarnia-Lambton Research Park.
"We're hopeful that this time around we'll not only be moving forward, but ultimately end up with some kind of a resolution. Hopefully, with a promise of action by the end of this term of council and certainly by the next provincial election."
He said the widening and replacement of the CN Rail overpass, scheduled for 2021, should be considered as one project.
