During the Jan. 26 council meeting, Councillor Barb Martens said a Township survey found transportation and streets was residents’ top concern at 50.1%, ahead of crime and policing and community facilities.

Under the current council term, the Township has approved several major road widening projects. The Township lists 208 Street and the Willowbrook Connector at about $56.9 million across two phases, Fraser Highway widening at approximately $25.9 million, and 80 Avenue widening at about $10.5 million. Together, those three projects amount to about $93.3 million. Each includes items such as bike lanes, multi-use paths, or transit stop improvements, but all have one thing in common: they involve road expansion.

Mayor Eric Woodward has also described the projects as long overdue. In a Township news release announcing approval of about $23.7 million for phase 2 of the 208 Street project, he said: “Long overdue, we are getting it done.” The projects involve widening corridors that are reported or observed to experience congestion.

Outside funding covers only a portion of the listed project costs. TransLink’s 2025 local government funding list shows a contribution of approximately $3.535 million for the Fraser Highway project and a contribution of approximately $1 million for 80 Avenue. Those amounts are well below the Township’s stated project values of about $25.9 million and about $10.5 million. Those TransLink contributions cover only part of the Township’s stated project values. In the Township’s 2026 preliminary operating budget, the Transportation Utility includes about $8.87 million in debt principal and interest.

Statistics Canada’s 2021 census data shows 85.9% of commuters in the Township travel as the driver of a car, truck, or van. Public transit accounts for 2.7%, and active transportation accounts for 3.8%. These figures suggest the issue may extend beyond individual congested corridors. They also indicate that most residents currently rely on driving for commuting.

From that perspective, the current approach may appear limited. The Township’s major road-widening commitments are already funded and underway. At the same time, the broader Transportation and Mobility Strategy, which is intended to guide a multimodal system using Vision Zero principles, is still not finished. While survey respondents identified transportation and streets as the Township’s top issue, the largest transportation projects underway focus on widening existing roads.