Posted with permission from the Hamilton Spectator.
Hamilton Spectator
Thursday, November 22, 1979.
A NEW four-lane road across the Beach Strip is the key to Hamilton Harbor Commission plans for piers and an industrial park in the southeast corner of the bay.
The province plans the $17-million road and a widening of the canal lift bridge as the first phase of a $57-million plan that would lead to a new Skyway span or tunnel.
Hamilton port planners say the road will offer easy access to the East Port Industrial Park development announced yesterday.
The east port project, on 124 acres (50 hectares) being filled with material dredged from the harbor bottom, will provide more than a mile (1.6 kilometres) of dock space, enough for eight to 10 ships, with five to eight acres of backup space for each wharf.
The mayor of Hamilton and the chairman of Hamilton-Wentworth reacted with delight to the harbor commission announcement.
Co-operation
Regional Chairman Anne Jones said the industrial park, almost in the shadow of the Skyway, would complement plans for 1,000 acres (400 hectares) of industrial land in Stoney Creek and eventually would create an estimated 6,000 jobs.
Mayor Jack MacDonald called the plans perfect and promised city council's immediate co-operation, saying "we can have differences on other subjects, but this is one on which there cannot be differences among the people who live and work here."
"Tell us what you want done and it will be done as expeditiously as possible," he said.
Port Engineer Robert Hennessey said the project would be divided into three sections or piers to be built in separate stages. The first would be Pier 25, closest to Woodward Avenue in Hamilton, on land that is already filled.
The part of Pier 25 that does not front on the shipping channel would be used for an industrial mall, office bulding and stores.
Piers 26 and 27 would be built later, as additional dredging work creates land behind an existing berm.
Berms
With the new Beach Strip road due to be started next year, Mr. Hennessey said work on Pier 25 could begin early in 1981. A rail bridge would be built from the end of Pier 24, at the foot of Strathearne Avenue, across the mouth of the Windermere Basin, to the east port.
There are plans for harbor lookouts and extensive landscaping, including low hills or berms to screen cargo storage.
Port Director Earl Perkins said the new space is badly needed.
"We are turning people" away now; we are hard-pressed to accommodate the business we have this year."
Mrs. Jones warned that the project could be delayed by the need for an environmental assessment of the province's plans for the Skyway corridor, including the new road that would provide access to the industrial area.
Hamilton Spectator
Thursday, November 22, 1979.
A NEW four-lane road across the Beach Strip is the key to Hamilton Harbor Commission plans for piers and an industrial park in the southeast corner of the bay.
The province plans the $17-million road and a widening of the canal lift bridge as the first phase of a $57-million plan that would lead to a new Skyway span or tunnel.
Hamilton port planners say the road will offer easy access to the East Port Industrial Park development announced yesterday.
The east port project, on 124 acres (50 hectares) being filled with material dredged from the harbor bottom, will provide more than a mile (1.6 kilometres) of dock space, enough for eight to 10 ships, with five to eight acres of backup space for each wharf.
The mayor of Hamilton and the chairman of Hamilton-Wentworth reacted with delight to the harbor commission announcement.
Co-operation
Regional Chairman Anne Jones said the industrial park, almost in the shadow of the Skyway, would complement plans for 1,000 acres (400 hectares) of industrial land in Stoney Creek and eventually would create an estimated 6,000 jobs.
Mayor Jack MacDonald called the plans perfect and promised city council's immediate co-operation, saying "we can have differences on other subjects, but this is one on which there cannot be differences among the people who live and work here."
"Tell us what you want done and it will be done as expeditiously as possible," he said.
Port Engineer Robert Hennessey said the project would be divided into three sections or piers to be built in separate stages. The first would be Pier 25, closest to Woodward Avenue in Hamilton, on land that is already filled.
The part of Pier 25 that does not front on the shipping channel would be used for an industrial mall, office bulding and stores.
Piers 26 and 27 would be built later, as additional dredging work creates land behind an existing berm.
Berms
With the new Beach Strip road due to be started next year, Mr. Hennessey said work on Pier 25 could begin early in 1981. A rail bridge would be built from the end of Pier 24, at the foot of Strathearne Avenue, across the mouth of the Windermere Basin, to the east port.
There are plans for harbor lookouts and extensive landscaping, including low hills or berms to screen cargo storage.
Port Director Earl Perkins said the new space is badly needed.
"We are turning people" away now; we are hard-pressed to accommodate the business we have this year."
Mrs. Jones warned that the project could be delayed by the need for an environmental assessment of the province's plans for the Skyway corridor, including the new road that would provide access to the industrial area.