Road and highway maintenance will be improved in rural municipalities across Ontario with a large investment.
MPP for Hastings – Lennox and Addington Ric Bresee visited the Tyendinaga Township Municipal Garage on Monday to announce a $10 million Pothole Prevention and Repair Program.
Applications are now open for this program, which is available to municipalities with populations of fewer than 10,000 people that can receive up to $38,000 for various projects.
“This program will help smaller communities protect and extend the life of the roads, keep the good roads good, improving safety by preventing vehicle damage and accidents that can occur from potholes, so families can travel safely,” Bresee told the gathering.
The MPP added these municipalities have a lower tax base, which can cause on strain on resources and costs dedicated to road repair work.
“It’s the spot repairs, it’s filling in the cracks, it’s catching those potholes early so that it doesn’t turn into a major rebuild for the entire road,” he told
This program, which will see work completed in all non-winter seasons, will go a long way toward helping cover these essential roads needs, Tyendinaga Township Mayor Claire Kennelly said.
“We’ve got two employees dedicated five days a week, pretty well all summer long,” Kennelly said.
“When you’ve got to two ages and a vehicle, plus the material, it adds up.”
Additionally, Kennelly said the Township is appealing to the province to fund the treatment of well-used municipal roads during 401 closures.
“Our roads are not built for 28 wheel transports, the structure is just not there underneath them,” he noted, adding a large cost of around $400,000 was needed to repair a surface treated road a few years prior thanks to the number of vehicles using it during a highway shutdown.
263 municipalities with under 10,000 residents are eligible for the Pothole Prevention and Repair Program.
Applications are open until Dec. 12 for this fiscal year.
This program is part of a $30 billion total investment to build, repair and expand highways, roads and bridges in the province.
