Counties paving surplus leaves CR8/18 in the dust

SDG – An unexpected surplus in the SDG Counties paving budget for this year left county council members to decide what additional roads to pave this year.nnAt the May 21st county council meeting, councillors discussed the surplus, with a majority of council supporting the staff recommendation of repaving a section of County Road 43 from County Road 31 at the south end of Winchester, east towards Chesterville.nnThe section recommended by staff is not in the current four-year roads plan that the County’s transportation department has created.nnCouncillor Steven Byvelds (South Dundas) disagreed with the staff recommendation citing the need for the section of County Road 8 and 18, north from Hoasic to the 8/18 split, to be repaved.nnThat section of road was listed as one of the options presented to council. Staff recommended that it be repaved at the same time the remainder of County Road 8 is repaved. County Road 8 is also not part of the County’s four-year roads plan. The estimated cost of the repaving project for that section of road is $568K.nn“As much as I recognize 43 is a rough section of road, 8 and 18 is rougher and needs more work,” Byvelds told The Leader after the meeting. “Neither road is on the four year plan. I will keep pushing for this.”nnByvelds said he was frustrated because the road is not on the four-year plan and he cannot get any kind of timeline on getting the work done.nn“You can have a four-year plan,” he said. “Once roads get to a certain point, they have to be fixed.”nnThe 1.1 kilometer section of road has been in disrepair for over the past two years. Chunks of pavement missing in the southbound lane revealed the gravel base underneath.nnRecently minor repairs have been made to patch some of the missing asphalt.nnByvelds said that he has asked for that section of road to be added to the four-year plan during the next budget meetings for 2020.nnCounty roads in South Dundas also considered but not selected include: County Road 1 from Hulbert Road to Irish Headline Road; and County Road 31 from County Road 2 in Morrisburg to Tollgate Road south of Williamsburg.