In January, the District Municipality of Muskoka retained AECOM to undertake a Class Environmental Assessment (EA) Study for a proposed transportation corridor north of the Town of Bracebridge urban area between Highway 11 and Muskoka Road 118. This long term transportation planning study will be carried out in accordance with the requirements for a Schedule ‘C’ project under the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment document.

This website will provide project updates, updated project schedules, information on upcoming events such as the publication of the Environmental Study Report, as well as other project documentation as it becomes available.

If you have questions or comments, or wish to be added to the project mailing list, please visit the Contact Us section of this website.

 

Study Background/Chronology

1992 – MTO completed a Preliminary Design Study for the Ultimate Freeway Design for Highway 11 from Muskoka Road 169 in Gravenhurst to the north junction of Muskoka Road 3 in Huntsville.  This document concluded that the existing interchange at Muskoka Road 117 should be retained and that a new interchange should be constructed north of High Falls Road with a new entrance to the Bracebridge Resource Management Centre.

1994 – The Town Of Bracebridge Transportation Study recommended the development of two new arterial routes around the urban core of Bracebridge: one to the south-west and one to the north. The northern route was to connect to Highway 11 via the interchange north of High Falls Road that was proposed in the MTO’s 1992 study.  At the time that the MTO study report was published, the Town of Bracebridge study was sufficiently far advanced that the north route was identified in the MTO report.  Both the south-west route and the north route were incorporated into the Town’s Official Plan.  Schedule “C” of the Official Plan illustrates conceptual layouts for the two routes. 

2010 – MTO completed a Transportation Environmental Study Report called the Highway 11 Access Review of Highway Falls Road/Holiday Park Drive.  This document identified a new preferred solution for access to Highway 11 that did not include a new interchange.  Specifically, the preferred alternative, alternative 5b, involves the connection of Holiday Park Drive to Muskoka Road 117 via a new bridge over the Muskoka River on the east side of Highway 11, and the connection of High Falls Road to Holiday Park Drive by an overpass on Highway 11.

August 2010 – The District Municipality of Muskoka (DMM) submitted a motion to MTO with the following comments regarding access to Highway 11 at High Falls Road/Holiday Park Drive:

1. The District Municipality of Muskoka prefers that access to Highway 11 be achieved through the construction of the interchange recommended in the MTO’s 1992 study report (Parclo A4 interchange 1+km from Cedar Lane interchange); and
2. If the interchange recommended in the 1992 study report is rejected by the MTO, Muskoka’s second preference would be for an interchange as shown in alternative 6c developed as part of the 2010 study of access alternatives (diamond interchange about 1 km north of Cedar Lane interchange), with the exception that the southbound on-ramp and the northbound off-ramp at the existing interchange at Muskoka Road 117 must not be closed; and
3. If the abovementioned alternative 6c (as modified) is also rejected by the MTO, Muskoka’s third preference would be for alternative 6b developed as part of the 2010 study (diamond interchange about 1 km north of Cedar Lane interchange with north facing ramps only and a service road to High Falls Road and to Cedar Lane – new bridge across the North Muskoka); and
4. If the abovementioned alternative 6b is also rejected by the MTO, Muskoka’s fourth preference would be for alternative 6a developed as part of the 2010 study (overpass about 1 km north of Cedar Lane interchange with service roads to High Falls Road and to Cedar Lane – new bridge across the North Muskoka) ; and
5. Muskoka does not support the MTO’s currently preferred solution as shown in alternative 5b, and if this solution is ultimately chosen, Muskoka requires the TESR produced for the current Class EA process to include a commitment to the future production of an addendum to address the need for a northward shift in the location of the overpass to better align with the Bracebridge north arterial route once its exact location has been defined.

Following DMM motions summarized above the MTO submitted their TESR with alternative 5b as the recommended plan.  DMM requested a bump-up but this was denied by the Minister of the Environment.  In order to further discussions with the MTO, the DMM retained AECOM to perform a Class EA for the North Transportation Corridor in order to examine the issues from a municipal perspective and recommend a location for a connection with Highway 11.

January 2012 – The District Municipality of Muskoka initiated a Class Environmental Assessment (EA) Study for a proposed transportation corridor north of the Town of Bracebridge urban area between Highway 11 and Muskoka Road 118.