Ajax studies Hunt St. extenstion from Harwood Ave. to Westney Rd.

Ajax continues to work toward extending Hunt St. from its current end at Harwood Ave. to connect to Westney Rd.

Hunt St. now runs parallel to Hwy 401. for about 850 metres from Harwood Ave. to McKenzie Ave. The two-lane street is largely industrial, though more service-driven closer to Harwood Ave.

Given its location, Ajax has long seen Hunt St. as a perfect site to extend creating another connection between two of its busy arteries. “The extension has been envisioned as a complete street with active transportation facilities and would provide a more comfortable east-west route for active transportation travel than other currently existing options,” the town wrote.

The extension would also alleviate traffic on Bayly St. which also runs parallel to the south.

Work on the extension goes back to at least 2016 when Ajax commissioned an Environmental Assessment. Studies and tests have continued ever since. Most recently, the town wrapped a feasibility study in March which “reaffirmed the importance of this connection from a mobility perspective to improve connectivity and help relieve congestion,” per Ajax.

Additionally, they found, “The extension would also provide an additional route to access the GO station, which is a congestion hot spot during peak commuter periods.”

Following the March study, the town has launched a new Environmental Assessment to supplement the 2016 one. This latest study is expected to be complete by September. However, even after eight years of development, the town did not provide an estimate on when shovels will hit the ground to actually build the extension.