Intersection improvements are slated for Wilson and Rousseaux.

Ancaster's busiest intersection is getting an extreme makeover.

As part of a comprehensive Ancaster transportation master plan, city staff will try to alleviate congestion and driver frustration at the corner of Wilson and Rousseaux Streets.

Hart Solomon, manager of traffic engineering and operations, said city staff will look for input from residents on a list of preferred solutions.

"The good news is there are some fixes and they're not that complicated," Mr. Solomon said.

In a presentation to the Ancaster Community Committee, traffic consultant Dave Banks said the intersection will only get worse unless improvements are made in the next two years.

Four options are currently on the table.

A signalized west-bound right turn lane running north from Rousseaux to Wilson is the simplest option. Mr. Banks estimates this solution could alleviate congestion for about four years.

Reversing the direction of traffic westbound on Old Dundas Road is a second option. In this scenario, public works staff would construct a turnaround area forcing eastbound traffic back down Old Dundas Road. Old Dundas currently operates as a one-way eastbound street.

A third option is dual southbound left turn lanes on Wilson Street, in combination with the reversed traffic flow on Old Dundas.

Reversal of Old Dundas with dual westbound left turn signals on Rousseaux, and dual southbound left turn signals, could correct traffic problems for the next 30 years, Mr. Banks said. This solution comes at an estimated price of $500,000. Wait times for traffic at the Rousseaux Street intersection would decrease from one minute, 25 seconds to 35 seconds at peak hours, Mr. Banks explained.

That proposal impressed Ancaster Councillor Lloyd Ferguson.

"That's quite a significant improvement," he said.

The best, but most expensive solution is the addition of a modern roundabout which could solve traffic problems for the next 50 years, at a cost of over $8 million.

Mr. Banks said the high price tag could discourage the fifth option.

Mr. Banks estimates traffic density at Wilson and Rousseaux will increase 1.5 per cent per year, causing increased delays at morning and afternoon peak hours and Saturdays. Figures have been adjusted to account for the 127-unit Woodlands Manor subdivision on the Mount Mary Immaculate property, currently in the planning stage.

If nothing is done by 2009, Mr. Banks estimates the afternoon rush hour congestion will increase from a current average of two hours, 25 minutes to three hours and nine minutes.

Walter Buchko, chair of the Ancaster Village Core Advisory Committee, said a major contributor to rush hour congestion is westbound commuter traffic.

"My impression is an awful lot of traffic is commuting through this intersection to Dundas," Mr. Buchko said.

Mr. Ferguson also pointed out the bumper to bumper traffic along Rousseaux often stretches as far east as Lime Kiln Road.

"The people of Ancaster are tired of that congestion," Mr. Ferguson said.

Mr. Solomon said intersection improvements will not only reduce congestion, but reduce commuter short cuts through residential areas such as Academy and Lodor Streets.

"Our goal is to improve arterial streets to discourage cut-through traffic," Mr. Solomon said. "The best medicine is to make that intersection work better."

City staff will conduct stakeholder meetings for local residents in June and September. A public information centre will be held in October, coinciding with the completion of the master plan. For updates on the study, visit www.hamilton.ca/AncasterTMP or e-mail eplanning@hamilton.ca