Guelph-Eramosa has entered into a 25 per cent payment agreement with the province for the installation of full traffic lights at the Highway 7 intersection with Dunbar and MacLennan Streets in Rockwood.
On Aug. 8, council approved payment up to an estimated $280,000 for the township’s 25% portion of the total traffic light cost. The province will cover the remaining 75%.
“That’s what we’re estimating as they go out to tender, which they haven’t done yet,” said Guelph-Eramosa Mayor Chris White in an Aug. 17 interview.
“It could come in half that, no idea, but we’ve taken the design work that the province has done, worst case scenario, high-end, because we’re signing an agreement and we don’t want to have to come back and redo [it] once the tender comes in.”
The traffic light installation will include the traffic lights and the extension of the westbound left turn lane. The work is expected to be completed by September 2018.
The letter to council presented at the Aug. 8 council meeting states the township will have the opportunity to review and comment on the draft design of the project, which will be circulated by the ministry.
Guelph-Eramosa will pay the Ministry of Transportation $70,000 by the end of December and will pay the remaining balance once the project is complete.
White explained the township won’t be pulling from reserves or taxation to pay its portion of the traffic lights.
“This will be funded through the unopened road sale,” he said.
“As we’re building the Alma Street grocery store thing they’re putting together, we’ve got a couple unopened roads in there we’re selling so we’ll be funding our portion of the lights through unopened road sales.”
He added, “Basically it’s kind of a swap of assets in the town.”
Background
The township has been advocating for a set of traffic lights at the intersection that’s close to Harris Mill Public School since October, when council passed a resolution asking the province to complete the installation.
After a citizen petition asking for the lights was also submitted to the Ontario Legislature, the Ministry of Transportation announced on June 23 that it would be funding full traffic lights at the Highway 7 intersection.
Guelph-Eramosa enters traffic signal agreement
