The City of Hamilton has initiated a Schedule ‘B’ Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (MCEA) to evaluate options to address persistent flooding of Safari Road in Flamborough.
The study area specifically includes Safari Road from Kirkwall Road to Valens Road.
An initial drop-in style open house was held back in September 2024, and another event will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 16 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Valens Community Centre in Puslinch.
The open house will not include a formal presentation, but materials about the study will be on display and members of the Project Team will be available to answer questions.
According to the city website, the Project Team appears to include at least two City of Hamilton employees, John Kukalis and Ahmad Sarwar, both of whom are project managers.
The team also appears to include Andrew McGregor, who is a project manager with a Canadian environmental consulting firm called R. V. Anderson Associates Ltd.
At this point, the city is simply introducing the study, as well as their objective and scope, to residents.
Specifically, they are hoping to obtain background information from residents within the Study Area.
The city says that the study “will address flooding issues within the public right-of-way (ROW) along Safari Road and improve road conditions to ensure safety and accessibility.”
The study will look at drainage improvements and flooding issues including culvert crossings, account for active transportation and truck loads, and look to fulfill access requirements for emergency vehicles, Canada Post, and local residents.
It should be noted that the study will not address drainage or flooding issues on residents’ private property.
An MCEA is undertaken prior to municipal road, water, wastewater and transit construction projects as the city seeks the best option to move forward.
The city will specifically be looking at the environmental impacts of potential improvements since there is a heavy presence of aquatic wildlife and birds in the area.
Since Safari Road is designated as a full-time truck route according to the city’s Truck Route Master Plan, staff will also be ensuring that the road base for any improvements will be able to withstand full truck load traffic year-round.
So far, potential solutions that have been identified by staff are raising the road profile, closing a portion of the road permanently, and adding drainage and stormwater management enhancements.
After consultation, the city will prepare a Project File Report to document and summarize the results of the study, including community engagement.
At that time, a Notice of Study Completion will be published, and the report will be available for a 30-day public review period.
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
