Clappison Corners Construction

What is underway in Clappison Corners?

Introduction

HAMILTON REGION
Construction nears for massive interchange project at highways 5 and 6
The long-discussed project will see Highway 5 cross Highway 6 with an overpass and a partial cloverleaf.
April 12, 2026
Ministry of Transportation
By Mac Christie, Reporter

Construction — and traffic snarls — could soon begin for a long-awaited new interchange project at the busy intersection of highways 5 and 6 west of Waterdown.

Ted McMeekin, City Councillor for Ward 15.

Coun. Ted McMeekin told The Spectator in a recent interview he believes the design work on the project is done and most, if not all of the needed land purchases or expropriations have taken place. He said his understanding is that construction is “tentatively scheduled for the fall” and will take a “minimum” of two years to complete.

In an email, Ontario Ministry of Transportation spokesperson Julia Caslin said early works, including utility relocations and building demolitions, are already underway for the “priority” project. She said the work schedule has yet to be finalized, but a MTO report about the project from December said construction is “anticipated to start in 2026.”

That report said the construction will not fully close either highway, and although traffic delays are “anticipated,” the report said the construction safety plan will “allow vehicular movement in every direction.”

The same report notes “major interchange work” is not expected until later stages of the construction schedule. Various provincial estimates since 2024 suggest the work could stretch over multiple years.

The project will see Highway 5 cross over Highway 6 at Clappison’s Corners with an overpass and a partial cloverleaf of looping ramps.

Work will include adding cloverleaf ramps to allow westbound and eastbound traffic from Highway 5 to access the southbound and northbound lanes of Highway 6, respectively. There will also be ramps connecting both highways, a new carpool lot, and new local road links to the commercial plaza at the southwest corner of the intersection and Harry Howell Arena.

McMeekin admitted the interchange construction — as with other, ongoing traffic-snarling road projects in the community — will cause resident consternation, but added when the work is done “the roads are going to be so much better, cleaner and easier to travel.”

The new interchange has been discussed since the late 1990s — and in earnest since 2003. Provincial reports at that time identified the need for a new interchange at the intersection to “accommodate future traffic demands.”

The ministry has repeatedly declined to share cost estimates for the big project, citing a need to protect the competitive bidding process. McMeekin, however, has in the past characterized the interchange and associated works as a “billion-dollar-plus” project.

The Flamborough councillor and former MPP suggested there are numerous other projects in the Waterdown area that might strategically impact the timeline for interchange work.

For example, Parkside Drive between Highway 6 and Clappison Avenue will be closed for two months from April 15 for water main work. Additionally, there is ongoing work on a bridge replacement over Grindstone Creek on Dundas Street, as well as changes to Waterdown Road.

He noted another long-delayed project, the Waterdown bypass, remains stalled due to a dispute with the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and related archeological investigations. — in Hamilton.