Council approves $2.8M Barnet overpass widening

Council has signed off on a $2.8 million plan to widen the eastbound Barnet Highway overpass near Ioco Road — one of the city’s most persistent traffic bottlenecks — and to open the new space to vehicles right away.

The June 16 decision passed over a staff-recommended phased approach, which would have cost more (about $7.2 million) and initially used the extra width for a protected walking and cycling path rather than a traffic lane. Mayor Meghan Lahti argued the immediate option better matched what residents have been asking for. “Traffic congestion is one of the top concerns for our residents,” she said.

Staff had warned that opening a new lane right away risks drawing more regional through-traffic over time — a pattern known as latent demand. Other councillors backed the faster option anyway, pointing to the relatively modest cost for a fix residents have wanted for years, while noting cyclists and pedestrians will still need safe accommodation on the corridor’s north side.

What to watch next: the construction timeline, which is expected to be coordinated with already-planned seismic upgrades to the same overpass.