PUSLINCH – Councillors have gone against a staff recommendation to pave Sideroad 10 South and will instead put a hard surface on Carter, Cook's Mill and Farnham roads
Council feels the move will give residents on Sideroad 10 South a break from the increased traffic caused by the closure of Paddock Bridge on Wellington Road 35.
While all councillors acknowledged Sideroad 10 South would benefit from paving during a Puslinch council meeting Wednesday morning, most were concerned that hard-surfacing the road would be "troublesome," encourage speeding and ensure the current detour traffic would continue past construction.
"For us to come and pave (Sideroad 10 S.) and encourage now faster traffic and more people, I think (residents) need a break...so they can get back to what they had experienced prior to the (bridge) closure," said Mayor James Seeley, suggesting the township look into repairing the road and keeping it gravel so less people use it.
Taking into account how many driveways exit onto each road, Coun. Sara Bailey also said she felt hard-surfacing Carter, Cook's Mill and Farnham roads was the better option because it would benefit the most residents.
Calling keeping Sideroad 10 S. driveable a "weekly challenge," the township's director of public works, parks and recreation Mike Fowler said despite the amount of traffic the sideroad has experienced, the road can wait for hard-surfacing because the actual sub-base hasn't been impacted and staff just need to deal with the extra wear and tear.
"As soon as you pave a gravel road, there will be speed mitigation issues that will pop up immediately," said Fowler during the meeting. "There will be a brand new road. Residents will not be used to the increased speed due to the asphalt surface."
Several Sideroad 10 S. residents have been vocal about their desire to pave the gravel road saying it's deteriorated significantly since the bridge closure and they have safety concerns.
Coun. John Sepulis advocated for paving Sideroad 10 S. to improve the township's overall connectivity. He later changed his mind and voted with the other councillors.
The project is anticipated to cost $1.13 million plus HST. and is set to be completed in 2026.
Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.
