The Mayor of St.Catharines is weighing in on the upcoming move to transform traffic in the Thorold Tunnel to one-way traffic only.
Walter Sendzik says it will be a major inconvenience for drivers and he fully supports Thorold Mayor Terry Ugulini in asking the MTO for a better option.
He says the closure will impact St.Catharines drivers by adding extra time to their drive, pointing out that it takes 35 minutes to travel from Glendale and Glenridge to Merriton.
Sendzik says if MTO officials don't live in the community, they don't see the impact it has.
He says while communication with MTO officials is improving a bit, it's still a struggle.
Niagara's NDP MPP's have sent a letter to the Minister of Transportation asking for a meeting to deal with issues at the tunnel.
CKTB found out last week that the MTO was planning on transforming the tunnel into one-way only traffic over the winter months.
The MTO has notified Thorold officials that once construction wraps up on a small bridge near the Allanburg Bridge they will be closing the Niagara Falls bound traffic lane.
As a result, only westbound or Thorold/St. Catharines bound traffic will be allowed to travel through the tunnel.
The detour will be Glendale, Regional Road 20 or the Welland Tunnel.