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12 - Orono Weekly Times 1937 - 2012 · Celebrating 75 Years Wednesday, February 1, 2012 Weigh scale inspection is rolling down the 401 by Christopher W. Brown The Ministry of Transport truck weigh scale on Highway 401 at Bennett Road will be on the move this year. On January 23rd the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) held a four-hour long public information session at the Newtonville Town Hall, to inform members of the public that in the spring of 2012 the new truck inspection weigh station will have a new home. There are currently four locations being considered for the new station; the first between Stephenson Road and Mill Street in Newcastle, the second directly south of Reid Road in Newtonville, the third near Zion Road in Port Hope across from Port Hope Travel Plaza, and the fourth further east along the 401 in Cobourg. In 2002, the Ontario Government commissioned the MTO to begin looking for another location for the Bowmanville inspection station. During its investigation, the MTO decided that the current Bowmanville inspection station was a major safety concern, mainly due to trucks weaving in and out of traffic to get into the inspection station because it is so close to two ramps onto the Highway. The two top contenders for the new inspection station location are the Zion Road and the Reid Road locations. MTO's preferred site is the Zion Road area. The Zion Road site will have less of an environmental and wildlife impact to the area and there will also be no impact on the existing infrastructure, according to the MTO assessment report. Vanessa Odaimi, MTO area,"Foster stated. He says project Manager on the file, the MTO has informed counsaid that she doesn't know cil that those who do bypass the exact the inspection cost of the area will be project at c a u g h t . this time. "A According to number of Foster, there I haven't variables will be no cost anything from heard come into to the play when citizens who were Municipality working on a for this projproject like upset about the proect. she posed site." this," Leslie Benson, s t a t e d . from the ~ Leslie Benson E n g i n e e r i n g Va r i a b l e s Engineering Department, Department in include cost Clarington C l a r i n g t o n , land of acquisition, "I said, cost of water haven't heard and power extension, and any anything from citizens who major reconstruction to the were upset about the prolandscape. posed preferred site." She Odaimi explained the four also said that "no councillor locations all have different had any issues with the preissues that affect the final ferred site." cost of the project. Speaking The new design for the of the Zion Road site, she inspection area will include said, "Electricity is already in 12 bays, where trucks can be the location, which makes it parked and inspected without our number one preferred obstructing the entrance and site." the exit. The existing Some residents who were Bowmanville inspection stain attendance at the Town tion has room for three bays, Hall last Monday raised conwhich tend to block the exit cerns about the effect the new for other drivers when in use. weigh scale could have on "Also, the inspection station their property values. Odaimi will only be a medium-sized says of the four sites that station, so if it can't handle could host the inspection site, the traffic or the job, addithe Port Hope and Reid Road tions can be added later," site would have the lowest Odaimi stated. residential impact. Currently She said that the finale there are only three homes location will not be chosen that could be affected if the until this spring, and once it's Reid Road site is to be selectchosen the properties that ed, and there will only be two will be affected will be purresidential houses affected if chased by the MTO. the Port Hope site is chosen. The Bowmanville inspecMayor Adrian Foster said tion station will be closed that the decision to move the only after the new inspection truck inspection station was station opens. The MTO has all due to the MTO. "Some stated that, once it does close people have raised concerns down the building, all the about trucks bypassing the utilities will be shut down Port Hope preferred site and and decommissioned, and the using Clarington's roads to land would be sold off. get around the inspection "