Mountain roads pushed up infrastructure wish list

Hamilton politicians didn’t like staff’s top 40 wish list of proposed infrastructure projects for government stimulus funding.

So councillors added an additional 70 high priority proposals — most of them road improvements on the Mountain at a cost of another $20 million — for a total cost of about $220 million. But Hamilton is only expected to get about $200 million in government money to pay for the projects.

“I though we were all about image,” said Ward 6 (east Mountain) councillor Tom Jackson. “We can’t forget that some of the roads here were identified (last year) that were in dire straits.”

Hamilton officials are estimating the city will receive about $130 million from the federal government’s $4 billion stimulus package and contributions from the provincial government. Hamilton will have to chip in with its own $65 million.