Council votes unanimously in favour of Westwood Hills emergency route

Regional councillors all agreed on Tuesday to move forward with a new emergency roadway connecting one of the neighbourhoods most impacted by the Tantallon wildfire to a nearby highway.

After lengthy discussion, councillors agreed that staff should begin the “planning, design, land acquisition and construction required to develop an emergency-only roadway connection between the Westwood Hills subdivision and Highway 103,” as outlined in a staff report.

That roadway, also known as an egress, would intersect with Westwood Boulevard via a short, existing gravel road west of Hemlock Drive, according to the staff report.

“The site has been partially cleared in preparation for proposed development,” the report reads. “The approximate distance to Highway 103 is 500m.”

Calls for a secondary exit from the subdivision have been made since the 2023 wildfire that destroyed dozens of homes and forced people to flee via the only existing exit from Westwood Hills to Hammonds Plains Road.

Area councillor Nancy Hartling included two amendments prior to Tuesday’s vote, including that the Westwood Hills community is included in community engagement.

“Westwood Hills moving forward needs to be a partner,” Hartling told council. “No community will be more affected by this connection than Westwood Hills, and they already have questions on what this could potentially mean for them.”

Hartling also added an amendment to “consider leveraging new and emerging infrastructure from Melvin Lake Wind Project or other projects in the area.”

Staff said the egress would be gated at both ends, limiting its use to emergency situations only. It is estimated the emergency roadway would come at a price tag of $2.7 million, according to staff.