Council meets to debate Red Hill parkway safety reports and investigation plans

Hamilton city council will debate making all its Red Hill Valley Parkway (RHVP) reports public tonight, and whether to launch an outside investigation into how a report remained hidden so long.

Council meets at 5 p.m. The big item on its agenda — the RHVP and a 2013 report showing the pavement friction was far below safety standards in some spots. Councillors didn't see the report until last week.

Brad Clark, Ward 9 (upper Stoney Creek) councillor, will push for a judicial inquiry into why the report stayed under wraps for so long.

Sam Merulla, Ward 4 (east end) councillor, will ask for a chronology of all the city's efforts to improve the highway. He also wants all the corresponding safety tests and reports made public.

The city is already doing safety upgrades to the highway. Last week, council changed the speed limit from 90 km/h to 80 from Greenhill Road to the QEW. It also expedited plans to resurface the road.

Some grieving families of people killed on the road have long maintained that the highway was unsafe. They've also called for barriers and medians.

The city has hired a consultant to look at a variety of potential upgrades, including widening the highway.

Here's what else is on the agenda:

• The Ontario Ombudsman will investigate a Jan. 16 meeting where city councillors discussed a potential Grey Cup bid behind closed doors.
• A motion from Maureen Wilson (Ward 1, west end) to add to the city's recruitment committee for a new city manager to make it more diverse.
• A motion from Clark asking the province to clarify what happens if Hamilton's planned light rail transit (LRT) system exceeds the $1 billion the province has allocated to build it.
• The city will appoint two citizens to the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority board. 

CBC reporter Samantha Craggs will tweet live from the meeting. Follow her at @SamCraggsCBC, or in the window above.

The meeting starts at 5 p.m. in city hall council chambers.