Mayor doesn't want Bayers Road widened

Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly has posted a letter on the city's website outlining his opposition to the Bayers Road widening project.

In a few weeks, Halifax regional council will have to decide whether it wants to widen the major commuter road into Halifax.

It'll mean buying up millions of dollars worth of property and destroying apartment buildings, including Look Ho Ho, whichhas been in the locationsince 1959.

"I don't think it's a big deal for rush hour traffic to wait a few more minutes to get in and out of the city and I really don't think it's justified to deteriorate the whole neighbourhood just for that purpose," said David Cheung, the restaurant's manager.

Council still has not signed-off on a plan to widen Bayers Road, but it's already buying up properties on Bayers Road just in case.

The owners of one home went to the city and offered to sell.HRM alsobought another home two doors up.

If the city approves a plan to widen Bayers Road the houses will come down. If not, Kelly said they'll go back on the market.

His letter urges council to cancel any plans to widen any more roads on the peninsula.

"In my opinion, this is not the way to move forward. Instead, we should be exploring alternative ways to smooth traffic flow, ones which wont involve the destruction of up to 80 private properties or end up costing taxpayers more than $20 million," Kelly said in the letter.

Kelly said it's not a political issue, but one of common sense.

"We need to learn from lessons of the past onChebucto [Road] and use common logic, different approach and save taxpayers money.That's what it's about," he told CBC News Thursday.

Coun. Jennifer Watts, oneof the mayor's toughest critics on council said this time the mayor got it right.

"We need to be thinking about moving ourselves around in the municipality in different ways. And road-widenings, it has been proven over and over again will increase single-occupancy vehicle travel," said Watts.

Watts and Kelly also both agree that at $20 million it's a project the city can't afford.

A decision is expected early this fall.