Justice appointed to head Red Hill Valley parkway probe

A judge who was front and centre during the U.S. Steel-turned-Stelco restructuring has landed another high-profile local file.

Superior Court Justice Herman Wilton-Siegel has been appointed to head the judicial inquiry into the Red Hill Valley Parkway saga and the burying, for more than five years, of a troubling safety report involving the parkway’s surface.

The appointment is within correspondence received by Hamilton city council on Wednesday evening.

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Mayor Fred Eisenberger says the independent public inquiry is coming together quickly and that is a good thing because “no one would want this to take years.”

Stoney Creek Coun. Brad Clark is also pleased with the pace and indications that this is being taken “quite seriously.”

City council voted earlier this spring to request the judicial inquiry, and more recently, set aside $7 million to cover the cost of the probe.

Council has also submitted a list of questions it wants answered during the inquiry, though it will be the judge who determines the scope of the investigation.

In the meantime, the resurfacing of the Red Hill Valley Parkway will start in less than two weeks.

The city has announced that all northbound lanes will be closed starting at 9 p.m. on May 21 for repaving. Other safety improvements will include rumble strips, brighter lane markings and steel guide rails with reflectors.