Major Mississauga street set to be widened in advance of redevelopment project

One of Mississauga’s busiest streets is set to be widened in the lead up to a major redevelopment project. 

At a recent Planning and Development meeting, council approved a plan to widen Dundas St.’s existing right-of-ways from 35 metres to 40 (or possibly 42) metres. 

The widening will reportedly help protect existing infrastructure in the lead-up up to the implementation of the ambitious Dundas Connects masterplan, a plan which requires the creation of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) along the Dundas corridor. 

In 2018, council endorsed the final Dundas Connects masterplan. A city report says that since 2018, staff have begun the process of implementing the plan’s recommendations. The official plan amendment to widen the Dundas Street right-of-way by up to 7 metres across most of the city will reportedly protect the planned corridor from encroachment resulting from new development. 

At a Jan. 13 meeting, Christian Binette, a planner with city’s planning strategies division, said that widening the street will also save taxpayers money. 

“The city is planning a series of fast and reliable rapid transit lines, improved cycling and pedestrian infrastructure, and upgraded complete streets. Dundas St. is one corridor where such improvements have been studied and recommended,” he said, adding that the [Dundas Connects] plan envisions a vibrant Dundas St. corridor with a mix of housing options and retail and employment uses.

He said that in order to implement BRT, he recommends widening the Dundas right-of-ways in most sections of the corridor.

“Approval will help protect the necessary amount of space to accommodate for planned transportation improvements, reducing the need for the displacement of future buildings and structures and minimizing cost to the taxpayer. In the absence of an official plan amendment to protect for this right-of-way, staff cannot prevent new development from encroaching on the corridor.” 

The report says that residents indicated they were in favour of the expansion at an earlier meeting. 

Back in 2017, the city said the overall vision of the plan is to develop Dundas Street into an urban, rapid transit-served street; something walkable and bikeable that’s accessible and–ideally–affordable. 

The focus on Dundas makes sense, as it will also be a place that will see growth in population and employment. It also boasts protected and stable residential neighbourhoods and heritage assets. 

While the cost of the Dundas Connects redevelopment plan is not yet clear, the city has asked the federal government for $305 million to help build BRT lanes from Confederation Parkway to Etobicoke. 

The Dundas BRT is just one of the projects the city said it planned to submit for consideration under the federal government’s Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP). 

The city has also asked for funding to help it build BRT on Lakeshore Rd. and enhance other transit-related projects.