Turn back

It is not too late. No money has been spent. All will be forgiven if County council walks away from plans to reshape and rebuild Union Road. It was an ill-considered compromise. The kind of deal that is cobbled together too frequently in politics at all levels. Made in haste, and in a jumble of other spending. Some important. Some less so. The bottom line is that rebuilding Union Road to current safety standards is a foolish waste of the County’s precious few roads dollars. Particularly so, as there is a wide, smooth alternative just a few hundred metres to the east. It is not too late to turn back.

Union Road is just 500 metres long. It links County Road 2 (Belleville Road), running east and west along the Mountain View escarpment, to Highway 62. It also serves as one of two routes in and out of the settlement of Mountain View, a collection of homes nestled in the lee of the escarpment. Cannery Road runs perpendicular to Union Road through Mountain View forging its own connection to Highway 62.

Union Road descends steeply off the escarpment, through a half-hearted rock cut, then jogs hard left to lessen the pitch before it straightens out and slopes gently toward Highway 62. The road has deteriorated badly from end to end. Gravity tugs continuously on the east shoulder at the top of the ridge, eroding the road’s foundation and narrowing the passage. On the other side, hard rock presents an unforgiving wall to vehicles that edge too close. It also acts as visual barrier—blinding motorists to oncoming vehicles until they are upon them.

It all requires an act of faith—that other motorists are hugging their side of the road, that they won’t be rattled when they encounter another car on this narrow pass or that they are travelling at a speed that will allow them to manoeuvre effectively if the need arises.

Aside from those who live in Mountain View, Union Road is travelled mostly by folks using it as a shortcut between Wellington and Belleville. As a time saver, it is of minor consequence, shaving perhaps 30 seconds off the trip. Only a few hundred metres past Union Road, Belleville Road meets Highway 62, which features a wide, straight roadway descending smoothly and safely down the escarpment.

Union Road, meanwhile, is unsafe. Estimates to reconstruct this short link begin at more than $1 million. Rock must be cut back. A much wider and deeper gash must be carved into the escarpment. A broader traverse must be engineered and constructed. The lower section has to be rebuilt.

County works officials believe Union Road should be closed at the top. They have made this recommendation consistently for the past five years. Yet a small but vocal contingent on council has, so far, managed to keep this fragile roadway open. It is part of the County’s history, they say. A moment of quiet contemplation as they make their way to the city. It is hard to see, however, how these qualities would be diminished by a reduction in throughway traffic.

It is not as though access to and from Mountain View would be restricted—Union Road will remain open at the bottom. Cannery Road will continue to provide an alternate access. The history and charm of the settlement will remain intact. In fact, it may even be enhanced—encouraging visitors to stop and wander around without the threat of a truck barrelling down the escarpment.

In the midst of budget deliberations in December, council hammered out a compromise. Council members knew they would be punished if they spent a million dollars on this tiny stretch of road—so they opted instead to spend $500,000 over two years. It was left to Works staff to figure out what, if anything, could be done with this hash of a decision.

Would they start reconstruction this year, stop and then restart the process next year? How does this make sense? Neither is it clear what exactly might be accomplished for this amount of money. A road halfrebuilt? Which half? Left or right?

There is no sound reason to continue to keep Union Road a throughway. The arguments for keeping it open are based on nostalgia and the romance of an earlier era. Perhaps, if the County were flush with cash, these might be acceptable considerations.

But the undeniable truth is that we can’t afford the roads we have. We can’t spend enough to slow down the deterioration of County roads and bridges. We can’t borrow or tax enough to replace our existing infrastructure. We must make choices. This is an easy one.

Put a barrier at the top of Union Road and find something useful to do with half a million dollars.

rick@wellingtontimes.ca