On August 30th, 2023 The Region of Waterloo Transportation Services report to council made the recommendation to "Implement the diversion of through trucks from downtown Cambridge by utilising the newly built McQueen Shaver Boulevard".  The report outlines revisions to the Traffic and Parking By-Law 16-023 which could be enacted to regulate the change to the flow of heavy truck traffic through the area.

The Cambridge Truck Study Results (2023) Appendix A estimated 1,600 total heavy trucks per day were travelling through the downtown core.  Per the study, 62% of the trucks were passing through the downtown core to other destinations.  The McQueen Shaver project was intended to reduce heavy truck traffic in the downtown core by creating a 4 lane bypass with access to the 401 corridor.

Two stages of the project have been completed, per the Region of Waterloo McQueen Shaver project website Project number: 07129, click here to check it out. :

1.  Roundabout connection at Myers Road and Franklin Boulevard, widening of Franklin Boulevard and extension southerly to City boundary and the McQueen Shaver Boulevard overpass structure at Cheese Factory Road, completed in 2018.

2. New mainline construction and roundabout connections at Highway 24 and Franklin Boulevard Extension, completed in October 2021.

3. The current construction diverts traffic along Franklin Boulevard via the Franklin - McQueen Shaver roundabout.  Traffic will eventually continue along an extention of McQueen Shaver which will bypass the area completely; however completion of the project has been delayed.

Several studies and surveys were completed to measure the impact of diverting trucks from the downtown core to a bypass.  Please use the links below to review the outcomes and the noted impacts of the project.

Downtown Cambridge Truck Diversion Study - Public Engagement  Summary (2023) 

Region of Waterloo Cambridge Truck Study Results (2023) 

The Region of Waterloo initially identified a 1.5km stretch on McQueen Shaver at noise levels which warranted installation of a noise barrier wall.  However, at that time the Region indicated that the noise levels as measured along Franklin Boulevard did not warrant sound dampening in any areas.

"A preliminary noise analysis was done for Franklin Boulevard from Myers Road to Elgin Street. If traffic projections materialise, it is possible that additional noise walls will be required along some sections of Franklin Boulevard. This may cost up to $7.2M. More analysis is needed and a recommendation may be brought back to Council in the future.", Page 2 of 7, Report Highlights - read the report here Cambridge Truck Diversion Study- Final Evaluation (2023).

Per the Durisol Ltd., website, additional noise walls were added in response to ongoing resident complaints about the impact of the traffic.  A Durisol project profile on their website notes that "Although initial noise studies suggested that a barrier wasn’t necessary, community feedback told a different story. After two years of continuous advocacy from local homeowners, the Region re-evaluated the data and confirmed that noise mitigation measures were warranted. The result: a robust sound barrier that reduces the noise levels, and an example of the importance of community-driven infrastructure planning."  Click here to read the full article by Durisol on the project and their role in reducing traffic related noise in the community.

Local residents continue to voice their concerns with noise and safety from Franklin Blvd at Cambridge City Council.  Council approved a motion to request further study on the related issues to the Region of Waterloo at their July 21st meeting in response to a presentation by delegates from Ward 7.  Click here to read the motion in full.

The Region of Waterloo has cited two reasons for pushing this project past 2030:

Cambridge residents have been waiting since the original 2008–2012 Environmental Assessment for the McQueen Shaver Boulevard corridor to be completed. The next phase — extending the road from Franklin Boulevard to Highway 8 — was scheduled to begin construction in 2026 at an estimated cost of $33 million, after $1.7 million was already spent on archaeological preparation. In December 2025, Regional Council approved a capital budget that pushed this phase past 2030, with no new completion date announced. 

Meanwhile, residents along the existing corridor continue living with the consequences of an incomplete network: unresolved truck noise on Franklin Boulevard, and a bypass that still doesn't fully connect. 

The Region of Waterloo 2026 Program Budget allocates the following funds to the project in the coming years;

2026-2030 $8.482 million 2030-2035 $21.533 million

Cambridge Today reported on the delay in a November 2025 article you can find here.

The Human Cost of Delay

Behind every budget line and staff report are Ward 7 families living with the consequences. The Phase 2 extension — the piece of this network that would finally connect McQueen Shaver Boulevard through to Highway 8 and relieve pressure on the existing corridor — was expected to begin construction in 2026. It is now delayed past 2030, with no firm new date announced.

For residents on streets like Bakersfield Drive, whose backyards face Franklin Boulevard, this isn't an abstract scheduling change. It means enduring truck noise that has already been measured as high as 90 decibels — years longer than they were originally told to expect. It means continuing to live with the traffic impacts of a network that remains, by the Region's own admission, incomplete.