by Councillor John Barclay
Thanks again to the North Grenville Times for allowing Council to contribute regular columns under this banner. This article deals with road construction and related infrastructure projects scheduled for 2021. There is a lot going on this year, and I’d like to encourage everyone to be patient and careful when approaching road crews at work.
North Grenville has over 300 km of roadways, about 170km paved and 130km gravel. Maintenance and repair are provided by a road crew shift comprised of twelve full-time workers. “Our road crew, while small compared to other municipalities, gets a lot done”, says Roads Superintendent, Doug Scott. “They have many years of experience, take a lot of pride in their work, and it shows.” It should be noted that North Grenville’s road service standards meet or exceeds the Minimum Maintenance Standards for Municipal Highways in Ontario’s Regulation 239/02
Every 5 years, a consultant reviews the condition of all roads and provides a priority needs rating and costing. This report, along with an annual inspection by Superintendent Scott, determines a priority list, which is considered when the Capital Budget is discussed. According to Karen Dunlop, Director of Public Works, “The capital program not only incorporates the conversion of gravel roads to hard surface, but considers overlay as a preventative maintenance measure extending the life of the asphalt surface before the expensive option of full replacement.” The final decision, however, is Council’s.
It is cheaper to maintain a paved road than a gravel road. Council has been converting gravel roads to hard surfaced ones. Gravel roads usually need rebuilding before any hard surfacing can be applied. The rebuilt gravel road needs to settle a year before the hard surface is applied and then in the third year, it is slurry or micro sealed as needed.
Gravel Road Maintenance & Rebuilds
Annually, there is an allotment for maintenance gravel, and every year the road shoulders need regrading to prevent erosion and to assist in conveying the water off the roadway as quickly as possible into the storm water system. All gravel roads receive a minimum of one application of a dust suppressant annually. This year, a section of Bolton Road will be rebuilt (between Craig Rd and the railway) and another section will be hard surfaced (between Cty Rd 43 and the railway)
Gravel Road Hard Surfacing, Slurry and Micro Sealing
For a gravel road to be considered for pavement, the roadway should have a vehicle count of over 400 cars per day, have a good gravel subbase, and be easily incorporated into the winter road plowing routes. In 2021, the following roads will be hard surfaced: Scotch Line Road West (between Bolton Rd & Donoghue), Tompkins Road and Townline Road (between Taylor Rd & Tompkins). Latourell Road, Pelton Road and Sheppard Close will all receive a slurry seal and Boundary Road (between Arcand & French Settlement), Lindsay Road, Sanderson Road (between Cty Rd 18 & Bolton Rd) and Stone Road (between Cty Rd 18 and Pattersons Corners Rd) will be micro sealed.
Roadside Maintenance
All roadways in North Grenville receive a single pass of the roadside mower, 7 feet off the travelled portion, plus an extra pass at intersections. Two boom type mowers are used for brush and hard to reach grassed areas along the roadside. The first year this is done, it looks like a war zone, in later years regrowth is maintained.
Asphalt Road Resurfacing and Larger Road Projects
These projects are completed by outside contractors and supervised by the Road Superintendent and his crew. Resurfacing asphalt will be applied to Crozier Road (between Lindsay Rd & Beach Rd), Van Buren Street (between Cty Rd 43 & French Settlement Rd) and Irishtown Road (from Beach Rd south for 500m)
Finishing the project from last year, County Road 44 will get a final application of asphalt, final grading and cleanup. Wellington Road will see the installation of water, sewer, and stormwater works, streetlights and sidewalks. Work also includes realigning the Bridge Street intersection to a four way stop at Parkinson Street.
Sidewalks/Multi-use Paths/Trail work
George St – sidewalk (Oxford to Pine Hill)
Lydia St – multi-use path
The North Grenville Road Safety Committee is reminding all drivers to slow down and share the road with work crews. Fines are doubled for speeding in a construction zone when workers are present. Drivers can also be fined up to $500 and three demerit points for not obeying the sign of the traffic control person.
