Grey County continues to plan some major upgrades to County Road 19 and 21 in The Blue Mountains.
At its meeting on June 8, county council received an update about future work on 19 and 21 that has been in the planning process since 2011. The upgrade work includes roundabouts being built at the intersections of 19 and 21 and 19 and Crosswinds Boulevard and turning 19 into a four-lane road.
Pat Hoy, director of transportation, provided the update for councillors and said the road upgrades are on the horizon, but there is a long way to go before they are fully implemented.
“It’s a huge collection of projects,” Hoy said. “There is a whole bunch of stuff going on in a pretty confined space.”
The total budget for all of the work has grown to more than $11.7 million. Simcoe County is contributing $2.6 million.
A complicating factor has been the increase in costs to relocate a sewage boosting station owned by The Blue Mountains. The town is contributing $1 million to that project, but the costs have grown from an estimated $2 million to $3.75 million.
Other issues complicating the work include: property acquisition, the amount of development in that area of The Blue Mountains, multiple utility companies and the sheer number of stakeholders.
The county has been planning for road upgrades in that area for many years and has collected more than $6 million in development charges for the work. The county also has significant reserve funding ready to go for the work as well. The net impact on the county’s tax levy would be just under $1.3 million.
County council received Hoy’s report for information and no decisions about the project were made at the meeting.
The Blue Mountains Mayor Andrea Matrosovs advocated that the county continue conversations with Simcoe County and Collingwood on the work.
“I want to make sure we’re not making decisions piecemeal,” she said.
Hoy said Simcoe has been involved “every step of the way” and would be involved in paying for a portion of the roundabout planned at 19 and 21. Hoy also said the county continues to push the provincial government for a master transportation plan for South Georgian Bay.
“We’ve been bugging the MTO quite a bit. We’re going to continue to push for that regional plan,” he said.
The Blue Mountains Deputy Mayor Peter Bordignon said it was important to continue pushing the MTO. The deputy mayor said the intersection of Highway 26 and County Road 21 “might be better served with a roundabout.”
“How feasible do you think that may be in the near future?” Bordignon asked.
Deputy CAO Randy Scherzer said the county has had plenty of conversations with the province on traffic needs in that area and have emphasized the Highway 26/County Road 21 intersection.
“If there is any project the MTO could pursue - it would be a roundabout at that intersection,” he said. “The needs are great. The numbers definitely warrant the upgrades being identified.”
Hoy’s full report on the matter can be found on the county’s agenda web page here.
