Red Hill Valley Parkway Inquiry to hold public meeting in new year

The Red Hill Valley Parkway Inquiry will hold apublic meeting in Hamilton to give anupdate on the multi-million dollar investigation into a buried safety report.

Inquiry Commissioner,Justice Herman Wilton-Siegel, will provide the community withinformationon the inquiry's status and process. People will also be able to ask questions about the schedule and procedures, and how the public can participate.

The meeting will take place on Jan. 9, 2020 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Council Chamber of Hamilton City Hall at71 Main Street W.

The judicial inquiry is investigating how a2013 report that revealedsafety concerns of the RHVP in particular, the friction levels of the road remainedhidden for years.

Family members of those who died in crashes on the RHVPhave demanded answers from the city on a roadway known for its crashes.

Council revealed in February that a 2013 Tradewind Scientific report showed that friction on sections of the highway was below UK safety standards.The report wasput in a locked computer folder accessible to the city's director of engineering services and stayed there for years.It was only discovered when a new director started the job in September 2018.

The city apologized to the public after the report was revealedandhas set aside 7 million dollars for the investigation.

Justice Herman Wilton-Siegelwas appointed in May to lead the inquiry.In the summer, helaunched a website to serve as a hub for information, as well as a twitter account that people can monitor for updates.

The inquiry says it'sstill in the process ofcollecting relevant documents.

On Oct. 30, the Commissioner issued a call for applications to participate. Any person or group with a "substantial and direct interest" in the inquiry or "whose participation may be helpful to fulfil the Commissioner's mandate" may apply.

These applicationsare due before the public meeting on Nov. 29 at noon.

Since finding the report, the cityhas reduced the speed limit of the roadway from90 km/h to 80and moved up its resurfacing work.The city has also put millions in improvements into the RHVP since 2015.