Hamilton Expects LRT Construction Will Begin in 2024 – TPR Hamilton | Hamilton's Civic Affairs News Site

July 20, 2022
Construction on Hamilton’s 14-kilometre, 17-stop B-Line Light Rail Transit Line is expected to begin in 2024.
“Metrolinx project plan is to start the procurement process sometime end of this year,” City of Hamilton LRT Director Abdul Shaikh stated Monday to City Council’s LRT Sub-Committee. In terms of major construction, they are planning to do in 2024,”
Shaikh used 2019 design plans to illustrate the route during his presentation.
The plans displayed were created prior to the fall 2019 cancellation of the LRT project when the Ontario Progressive Conservative government stated costs had inflated.
The project was revived in 2021 when the Federal Liberal Government committed to funding 50 percent of the project with the provincial government matching with 50 percent of the $3.4-billion budget.
The City’s traffic and transportation Directors state that the 2019 plans will change to reflect Council’s decision to convert Main Street to two-way traffic and the City’s new complete streets guide.
“The assignment that we’re doing for Main Street is going to take into account the … elements approved by the latest Complete Streets guideline,” stated Mike Field, Acting Director of Transportation Operations. ” We’re also forwarding some information to the consultant who’s working on the Main Street project about LRT and coordinating with [the LRT] office to make sure that those two things are integrated together.”
Field said the “intent is that partial conversion of Main Street would occur to help deal with the construction of LRT and the traffic that would be impacted on King Street during the construction.”
The Main Street conversion plan will go to City Council in early 2023, Field stated.
Converting Main Street to two-way traffic “opens a new opportunity” to “reconfigure the ramps to the 403,” said Hamilton’s Director of Transportation Planning and Parking Brian Hollingworth.
“Last week [City] staff met with MTO [Ministry of Transportation Ontario] to start broaching that topic of modifications to the 403 ramps.”
The LRT Sub-Committee will next meet in September.