CENTRE WELLINGTON – The township was recently notified it will receive funding through the Ministry of Transportation’s 2023-24 Connecting Links Program, with a contribution of $2,849,176 toward the reconstruction of St. David Street North (Highway 6) from St. Andrew Street to Edinburgh Avenue in Fergus.
“This is very exciting news for our township” said Mayor Shawn Watters.
“Thank you to staff who worked relentlessly to put forward a successful grant application. Highway 6 connects economies to communities and keeps people and goods moving.
“Provincial funding ensures our roads remain safe and key infrastructure is improved for our residents.”
Through the township’s 2022 asset management plan, the reconstruction of St. David Street North was identified as a priority project required to replace aging infrastructure that is at or near the end of its service life.
The project is a full reconstruction of St. David Street North, from St. Andrew Street to Edinburgh Avenue, including replacement of all township-owned buried infrastructure (watermain, sanitary sewer, storm sewers), replacement of the granular road base, surface asphalt, curb and gutter, sidewalks, third-party utility relocations (as necessary), and new streetlights.
As part of the project the township will construct wider sidewalks, on-road separated cycling lanes, cyclist turning movement improvements at intersections, and a new pedestrian crossing of St. David Street North at St. George Street to encourage active transportation within the St. David Street North corridor.
The project will be completed in two phases.
Phase one will encompass work on the road from St. Andrew Street to just north of the Garafraxa Street intersection. This work is to be done in 2024.
Phase two will complete the project, from just north of the Garafraxa Street intersection to Edinburgh Avenue. This is to be done in 2025.
Ontario’s Connecting Links Program provides funding to eligible municipalities of up to 90 per cent of eligible project costs, to a maximum of $3 million for road projects and $5 million for bridges.
Funding is provided for the design, construction, renewal, rehabilitation, and replacement of connecting link infrastructure.
The option to include separated bike lanes was unanimously approved by Centre Wellington council in June of 2021 but some councillors had second thoughts.
A motion to reconsider was entertained in September of 2021, but did not pass.
Staff learned in 2022 that it was not successful in getting the Connecting Links grant, which put the entire project on hold.
Staff resubmitted the township request and learned the week of April 17 they were successful.
For more information on the St. David Street Reconstruction project, visit www.connectcw.ca/stdavidstreetreconstruction
