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King improves its road network

By Mark Pavilons
Armed with a Road and Structures Needs Study, King Township is tackling its road network.
Councillors received the information from Andrew Drzewiecki, director of engineering, public works and building. Back in May of 2014, council hired Chisholm Fleming & Associates to prepare the needs study, which is an evaluation of the current condition of roads, bridges and culverts in King, and sets out a priority list, based on managing traffic volumes.
Drzewiecki pointed out a roads study is limited in that data collected is from a certain point in time. Traffic patterns are constantly changing.
There are five culverts needing attention, the most costly is the one on the King Caledon Townline, pegged at $1.2 million. The others, in descending order are 10th Concession, 18th Sideroad, 7th Concession and 15th Concession.
There are three bridges that need work, and two of them – Old Regional Road 16 and Main Street in Schomberg – are deemed immediate. These combined are estimated to cost $902,000.
Drzewiecki pointed out there is a lot of valuable information in the study, which prioritizes work over five years. Their analysis is based on a combination of traffic volume, surface type and transportation function.
There are several roads that need immediate attention, totalling $6.3 million. They include, in order, Cook Drive in Pottageville, Dufferin Street, Kettleby Road and South Canal Bank Road.
The Township would love to pave every road and there is a schedule for gravel roads. Drzewiecki pointed out King has many gravel roads that carry traffic volumes “in excess of what would normally be considered acceptable for a gravel road.”
Pavement deficiencies are also addressed in the study.
One of the points councillors asked for was a comparison between gravel and paved roads, in terms of cost and maintenance. Drzewiecki said staff will continue to monitor the costs associated with ongoing maintenance of gravel roads and compare those to paving.
Councillor Cleve Mortelliti said it's a bit of a catch-22, in that once a road is paved, it will see more traffic and hence pound away at the asphalt. “If we upgrade (pave), it will attract a magnitude of traffic volume,” he said.
Drzewiecki said patterns are hard to predict and the paving program is driven by available funding.
Councillor Avia Eek asked for a third dust suppression, given the recent dry weather, which has created quite a dust problem. Staff said they will see if its feasible.
Mayor Steve Pellegrini said the bridge work is necessary and he'd like to tackle the roads as soon as possible. He agreed that both traffic and speed will increase when roads are paved. He foresees a huge spike in both when Miller Sideroad is paved.

Excerpt: Armed with a Road and Structures Needs Study, King Township is tackling its road network. Councillors received the information from Andrew Drzewiecki, director of engineering, public works and building.

Post date: 2016-08-03 09:55:11
Post date GMT: 2016-08-03 13:55:11
Post modified date: 2018-03-28 09:59:38
Post modified date GMT: 2018-03-28 13:59:38