ERIN – The closure of Winston Churchill Blvd. for reconstruction at the most easterly point of Wellington County has been extended for an additional nine months.
The delay of re-opening until Nov. 29 was announced in a notice to local residents by the Region of Peel, which is managing the $8.65-million project near the intersection where Wellington, Peel and Halton Region meet.
The 1.2 km section of rural gravel road from just north of Terra Cotta to the intersection with Olde Baseline Road has been closed since last May.
It was never previously paved because of proximity to the Niagara Escarpment.
There have been safety concerns about the road, especially on the hill near Wellington Road 42 (Ballinafad Road / Sideroad 32), but paving had been opposed by some Terra Cotta residents who did not want more traffic in their village.
Since it is a boundary road, Peel is paying half of the cost, with Wellington County contributing about $2.5 million and Halton Region $1.8 million for sections north and south of Wellington Road 42.
The project includes drainage improvements, protection of heritage and environmental features and better sight lines.
So far, Peel has completed culvert replacement, storm sewer installation, construction of retaining walls and placement of eco-culvert passageways for endangered species such as the Jefferson Salamander.
Still to do are road reconstruction, concrete curbs and gutters, fencing, paving, pavement markings and landscaping.
In 2012, after an environmental assessment, the construction cost was estimated at $4.1 million, but by 2018 it was $7.5 million.
With other costs such as property acquisition, utility pole relocations and design fees, the total rose to $8.65 million.
Project manager Solmaz Zia said last year that the cost increase, and extra years in the detailed design phase, were due to the demands of Credit Valley Conservation Authority, the Niagara Escarpment Commission, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry and the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change.
The use of this section of Winston Churchill Boulevard has been debated over the last 30 years.
A re-construction plan was shelved in 1996.
The current plan has been in the works since 2006 and in 2009 a final plan was presented at a public information session in Terra Cotta.
Even after it had been approved in the Peel Region budget, it was deferred for several years until construction started in 2018.
