Next steps to fix County Road 49 approved
Administrator | Jul 14, 2021 | Comments 4
UPDATE JULY 15: Option one approved by council with removal of the bike lanes as described in the report, (noting they would be better on an alternate route). The costs and designs would change in the next phase.
JULY 14: The next step of many to fix County Road 49 (between the Skyway Bridge and Folkard Lane) is before council at its Committee of the Whole meeting Thursday.
A preliminary design report prepared by Jewell Engineering states the preferred option is to rubblize the existing concrete pavement and replace with hot mix asphalt at an estimated cost of $22.8 million. The second option was to use cement concrete at an estimated cost of $26.9 million.
Noting there are many pros and cons for both options, Garrett Osborne, municipal project manager, states in his report that Jewell Engineering supports option one as the most suitable, looking at the priorities of capital and life cycle cost, maintenance and repair operations and alignment with the County’s transporation and cycling master plans. Asphalt pavement also allows the County to maintain underground assets in-house, or with local labour forces.
Confirmation of the preferred rehabilitation option means the detailed design may be completed and that will position the project as tender ready for any funding opportunities from higher levels of government.
County Road 49 gained notoriety recently winning worst road in Ontario status. It was constructed in the 1960s by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation as a 17.3km rigid concrete roadway. In 1998 it was downloaded to the municipality.
Osborne notes the surface defects include severe joint failures, meandering cracking and severe polishing of the surface and it can no longer be adequately repaired.
In 2017 a Road Condition Assessment completed by Associated Engineering Ltd and a Geotechnical Investigation by Englobe Corp officially deemed the overall condition of the road as poor and in need of replacement.
The reports are all required by higher levels of government to satisfy requests for funding.
The report to council notes that given the Picton Lehigh Cement plant location, the Cement Association and others may lobby for the use of cement concrete (PCC). However, Jewell and County staff reached out to the company but has not received a response.
Committee of the Whole is to meet Thursday, at 1 p.m.
Filed Under: Local News
Cty Rd 49 is a major gateway to the County. It was a Provincial Highway until downloaded in 1998. The County stretch to the Skyway bridge should be redesignated as a Highway.
In response to the statement at the end of this article where Lehigh and other companies may want concrete used, I suggest those companies contribute to the cost and maintenance of the highway. The number of large trucks which use the highway have contributed significantly to it’s deterioration. It’s not just tourism, trailers, age and wear/tear, but the high number of large building/aggregate trucks should play a factor in costs. Tax payors shouldn’t flip the bill 100% on this.
When are you going to start fixing the side Street’s in Wellington they are worse than 49
When is work continuing on Cty Rd 3??? So dangerous for walking/ biking!!!!