The Region of Waterloo says four major road projects slated to get underway in Cambridge over the next few years will see their budgets balloon a combined $62 million due to rising construction costs and land values.
Planned reconstruction of Maple Grove Road will see the biggest price hike. That project, slated for 2026, will make the stretch between Hespeler Road and Fountain Street four lanes and includes multi-use trails and bridge widening.
Its price tag is expected to rise from $50.7 million to more than $70 million.
Likewise, extending McQueen Shaver Boulevard from Franklin Boulevard to Dundas Street South will cost millions more, rising from $20.3 million in 2023 to a projected $33 million in 2026.
The reconstruction of Fountain Street North from Maple Grove Road to Kossuth Road was expected to cost the region $21.2 million a year ago but has now risen to $35 million.
And the first phase of Cambridge's long-awaited East Boundary Road from Dundas Street South to Wesley Boulevard, approved with a budget of $27 million in 2023, has seen its price tag rise to $41 million.
In a presentation coming to budget committee Wednesday, the region blames the increases on skyrocketing construction costs, land values, supply chain issues and changes in legislation.
It's expected to fuel further discussions around the idea of delaying capital projects as a way to reduce next year's tax burden.
Regional councillor Doug Craig, however, says excessive budget increases are being seen across the board and he doesn't believe kicking the can down the road is the answer.
"Everyone sees it and the alternative is not to do it," he said. "But we can't do that because we need these roads, especially in Cambridge."
Craig would rather see the province kick in funding to help like it did for Toronto and Ottawa.
Last year, the City of Toronto negotiated a $9 billion 10-year funding agreement with Queen's Park that included uploading the Don Valley Parkway and the Gardiner Expressway.
A similar agreement gifted Ottawa $543 million to be split between cash for capital projects and ongoing operating expenses.
Those deals inspired Craig to present a notice of motion this week at regional council recommending the Region of Waterloo get in line at Queen's Park.
He wants to see Regional Chair Karen Redman work with the five area MPPs to request a similar "fair and equitable monetary deal" from the province.
"The system across Ontario for municipalities is not working and we need that extra funding," he said. "Municipalities in the 21st century can't live on an agrarian tax system of the 19th century and that's what we're doing."
