Stop The Truck Bypass

We Need Your Voice: Say No to Turning the 15th Sideroad into a Truck Bypass

It seems we may have been asleep at the switch.

While we’ve been enjoying life in the beautiful countryside of King Township, plans have quietly been set in motion by our Town and Region to transform the 15th Sideroad into a major truck bypass route. See the map below.

According to King Township’s 2051 Official Plan Review, the construction of Highway 413 and the Bradford Bypass is expected to increase truck traffic on our regional and local roads. Without restrictions, this will lead to increased traffic congestion and decreased safety along the local roadways in King Township leading to those highways. 

To reduce heavy truck traffic on King Road, several proposals have been put forward, including:

• Building a new interchange off Highway 400 at 15th Sideroad

• Extending the 15th Sideroad from Keele to Jane

• Widening the 15th Sideroad from 2 to 4 lanes

• Turning the 15th Sideroad into a full truck route west to 10th Concession - a so-called “New Goods Movement Corridor”

These changes are part of a planning recommendation slated for completion by 2031, meaning construction would need to start soon.

But that’s not all. York Region’s 2022 Transportation Master Plan also proposed widening King Road (from Highway 400 to Hwy 27) and King Vaughan Road (from 7th Concession to Bathurst) from 2 to 4 lanes.

Why is this happening?

Because King has fewer east-west Regional roads than neighbouring municipalities. According to the Town, it is necessary to use our local, rural roads - like the 15th Sideroad - to pick up the slack.

Yes, we understand that King Township needs to prepare for growth. But turning a quiet, rural sideroad into a major trucking route is short-sighted and deeply flawed.

We have three major concerns:

1. The Economic Cost Has Not Been Fully Evaluated

These proposals read more like a wish list than a realistic, costed plan. In our own lives, we understand that we can’t have everything - we make trade-offs and prioritize. As taxpayers, we expect our elected leaders to do the same: to weigh need against affordability and make the tough decisions. That means providing a full, transparent costing and comparison of all available options - not just pursuing the most ambitious or politically convenient one.

2. Environmental Commitments Are at Risk

Routing trucks through protected lands on the Oak Ridges Moraine and Greenbelt undermines King’s stated commitment to environmental preservation. These areas are vital for water quality, wildlife habitat, and climate resilience. Paving over them for trucks is not compatible with conservation - regardless of whether or not there are limitations under the Conservation Plan.

3. It Destroys the Rural Character of King

The Town cannot claim to value our “rural way of life” while sending truck traffic through its very heart. This proposal prioritizes the needs of growing “Villages” at the expense of long-established rural Hamlets and surrounding countryside just because new population growth and land development is not taking place here. 

What about Highway 413 and the Bradford Bypass?

It’s been acknowledged that those highways may be sufficient for future traffic. But because their timelines are uncertain, the Town is rushing to create alternative truck routes now - even if it means damaging what makes King unique.

How Did This Happen?

• The 2016 York Region TMP included the 15th Sideroad extension as a Goods Movement Corridor.

• King Township adopted it in the 2019 Official Plan and then in its 2020 TMP.

• The 2022 York Region TMP reversed course, removing the 15th Sideroad and recommending King Road instead.

• But King’s Key Policy Direction (as presented at the January 2025 Public Open House) still includes the 15th Sideroad plan.

Why? We don’t know. But we do know that King is now working on its 2025 TMP - which will feed directly into the next Official Plan, guiding all development through to 2051, and the 15th Sideroad Bypass has been prioritized over the widening of King Road contradicting York Region's TMP.

If we don’t speak up now, this plan could be locked in - and our community changed forever.

Take Action Today

We’ve made it simple for you to make your voice heard.

Click here to instantly send an email to the Mayor and all King Township Councillors. You will be taken to another page where you can  enter your name, address, and phone number. You will be automatically added to our mailing list for updates.

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And Share - Let your neighbours know - share this website with them and post on your social media accounts. 

2031 and 2051 may seem far away - but the time to act is now.

Once these ideas are enshrined in the Official Plan, the 15th Sideroad truck bypass will be all but inevitable.

Let’s make sure our voices are louder than the sound of truck engines.

Thank you for your support.