Broken roads

County to apply for an Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program grant to resurface County Road 4

Council approved filing for an Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) grant at last Thursday’s Committee of the Whole meeting for work on County Road 4 stretching from the Millennium Trail and Talbot Street to Highway 62. The project includes repair of a bridge on County Road 4 close to Highway 62 that is in poor condition.

Director of Community Development and Strategic Initiatives Neil Carbone explained that the key factors in staff recommending County Road 4 included a high traffic count of more than 4,000 vehicles a day, the deterioration of the bridge as well as the number of collisions that have occurred on this road compared to other eligible projects. “Staff is looking at the specific criteria for this grant program and that means in this case that the highest need roads may not necessarily be the best roads to apply for, for the grant,” said Carbone. The work has a projected cost of $8.8 million, which means the County would cover the currently unbudgeted balance, at approximately $4.6 million.

A section of Closson Road after a long, harsh winter.

Part of County Road 4, through the swamp area, was resurfaced two years ago to extend the life of the road until proper road rehabilitation could occur. This resurfacing has already begun to deteriorate and there are various sections that are in poor shape.

The other road that was on the list was Closson Road in Hillier ward. Closson Road has been identified in the capital plan for reconstruction in 2022. Coming in at an estimated $2.75 million, this project would be below the maximum funding the County is eligible to receive, but with its proximity to County Road 2, which is listed as a capital project in 2021 at a cost of $1.5 million, it could be combined with Closson Road to create a single project and still be eligible. This project would cost $4.25 million, with a municipal contribution of $708,475. Closson Road and County Road 2 see considerable cycling traffic, which is considered important in the technical schedule of the ICIP funding application. However, there have been few perceived collisions and much lower traffic counts, which are important eligibility factors.

Councillor John Hirsch asked what part of the road was in the worst shape.

“The bridge is identified as the bridge in the County with the highest need right now. It’s next on the list. It was scheduled to go this year, but pre-budget it was bumped to next year due to lack of funding. There are portions of County Road 4 that are condition rating 1, and there are portions that are in the 2 and 3 and 4 range,” said Director of Development Services, Peter Moyer.

Councillor Mike Harper reminded council of the economic importance of Closson Road. “In my view Closson Road represents strategic importance because of its importance to our tourist economy. There might not be a huge traffic count, but the quality of the experience in that part of the County is very important.”

Moyer explained that the County currently has no way to measure strategic importance. “Currently there is no way for us to evaluate that,” said Moyer. “I don’t disagree that it shouldn’t be a factor. It should be a factor, we just aren’t at that stage yet.” Moyer remains hopeful that in the next year that the County will have some analytics software that will generate lists and expand the parameters.

Councillor Janice Maynard questioned staff’s choices, and wondered if an Ameliasburgh road might be a better candidate. “My issue is that this is not a road that is even on our current capital list,” said Maynard. She believes that County Road 3 should be considered because it fits the criteria for the grant. “It certainly would check the boxes I think much better than County Road 4 and improve pedestrian and cyclist safety as that is a fully developed road with a lot of pedestrian and bike traffic,” she said. Maynard asked staff why they have picked a road that isn’t on the capital list, and where the $4.6 million will come from.

Moyer said that County Road 3 is in relatively good shape. “According to the data we have right now, there are no remaining pieces of County Road 3 that are in condition rating one. They are all threes and fours. We were really trying to focus on the highest needs roads which are condition rating one.” said Moyer. “I agree that it is probably a more popular cycle road. We don’t currently have designated cycle lanes, although we are doing paved shoulders.”

Director of Finance Amanda Carter explained that the County will be raising the money though the capital roads levy that council approved for budget this year. “Essentially we will be raising $3.6 million over the four years,” said Carter. “Under the County Road 4 proposal, by the year 2024 we will have $4.2 million sitting in the reserve after adding the $3.6 million.”