Progress being made designating Dixie Road Veterans Memorial

November 4, 2015 · 0 Comments

By Bill Rea
There are still a few questions, but little in the way of opposition to Peel Region’s plans to designate Dixie Road as Veterans Memorial Roadway.
The Region hosted a public session on the issue recently at a Royal Canadian Legion Hall on Queen Street in Brampton, and one of the main points made was that things are progressing. There will still have to be decisions made regarding the placement of signs designating the road.
Joe Avsec, manager of traffic engineering in the Transportation Division at Peel Public Works, said it was former Caledon mayor Marolyn Morrison who first raised the issue at Regional council. Staff was given the job of finding an appropriate road, and a couple were considered. It looked for a while that Airport Road was going to be selected, but a report that went to Regional council last month indicated that Dixie Road was the preferred choice.
There were a couple of advantages cited at the time, including the fact Dixie runs south, almost to Lake Ontario. Airport Road only runs to Pearson International Airport.
Avsec said the Legion has been involved throughout the process.
He added the recent session was mainly an open house to get public feedback, if any.
“I don’t know if we will,” he remarked.
He cited a number of positive points for designating Dixie, including the fact it’s closer to more Legion halls, as well as the locations of armories. It also runs just about all the way through Peel, although there was mention of the fact Dixie stops at Olde Base Line Road. The Region last month asked the Town to look into applying the designation on Horseshoe Hill Road between Olde Base Line and Highway 9. Mayor Allan Thompson, at the time, indicated he was confident that could be arranged.
Avsec said there are still a lot of steps to be taken before the designation becomes official. They include addressing areas where the Province would have jurisdiction, such as around interchanges with Provincial highways, etc. There would also have to be consideration of what the Region can do in its right-of-ways.
He added council has approved the signs that will mark the road, and manufacturing has started. He also said that barring any objections from the public, the implementation phase should be ready to start.
One man at the meeting who identified himself as a a veteran, recalled he was involved in a project to get two bridges designated elsewhere in the province, and that took about two years. He was impressed with how fast this process has gone.
“Kudos to you guys,” he declared.
Avsec commented that things had progressed slower than had been hoped. Morrison had expressed hopes the designation would be in place before she left office.
“You don’t want to rush these things,” he added.
Chris King, supervisor of traffic operations with the Region, pointed out they had to deal with the Legion regarding the proper use of the Poppy on the signs.
Avsec said there has been thought of holding some kind of ceremony when the designation officially takes effect. One problem with that would be finding a location, since there are three municipalities involved. He also said setting up ceremonies along the side of the road could create safety issues.
He added thought was given to doing something for Remembrance Day (Nov. 11). There were concerns about getting everything ready on time, and he also said that would already be a busy day for the Legion.
“I think it’s going to be great when we get it unveiled,” Avsec concluded.