[emge]

Thought this comment was worth copying and pasting back from the Spec blog - just because it's someone else thinking of what could be:

"Take a drive down Burlington Street from James all the way to the QEW. Tour both the elevated and at-grade portions from Ottawa Street eastward. Observe the width of the road from Lakeport Brewery east towards Sherman.


If you were a stranger to this town, you would wonder why such a massive transportation facility exists with such little traffic. Of course a little history would reveal that the industries that call this street home once thrived and employed people in the tens of thousands. The size of the road was neccesary to accomadate the shift-workers producing the goods as well as the transports that moved them.


Of course the glory-days of manufacturing in this town are over. Burlington street, in its current configuration and size is no longer needed. Or is it?


Take a drive down Burlington Street and imagine it transformed. It is now 100% at-grade, no elevated portions. There are no more transport trucks, instead there are cars towing trailers with jet-skis. There are families with bikes and other beach furniture heading to former Stelco Bay-front. A LRT line brings even more sun-seekers. Hotels and resorts accomadate visitors from around the country.


It sounds far fetched, but with the a clear plan, this vision, or something similar could happen.


Large amounts of money have already gone into cleaning up the harbour.



Ships exist that are able to create a beach anywhere one is desired. Look at an aireal photo of Hamilton and the dominant feature is the large man-made ssquare jutting out into the harbour that is currntly the Stelco Bay-front.


If Stelco ever did close down and the factories were allowed to sit for decades, it would make the Lister Block look like a pot-hole in the scale of problems we face.


Burlington Steet can once again be the street that carries the life-blood of this City. It can be transformed into a grand boulevard that is the entrance to Hamiltons new tourist destination. There is plenty of opportunity and space for film-studios, condos, parks and open space and hotels with enough left over to accomadate what ever industry remains in the north end.


The issues facing Stelco as well as the world will likely see a transformation for our City. We can sieze it as an opportunity and proper from it, but we must plan for it."