Roads Needs Study recommends a budget of $1.8 million per year for Lake of Bays
A Roads Needs Study recommended a budget of $1.8 million per year for Lake of Bays, in the January 14, 2025, meeting.
The study conducted by Wills partners in Engineering provided an overview based on areas such as activities, infrastructure, budget considerations, and priorities resulting from a visual inspection covering 218 km of road last summer.
Representative, Turner Kuhlmeyer, who also conducted the inspection, advised that overall majority of the township’s roads are in good condition, at 89% adequacy. However, this is “down from 90% in 2019.” So, some work is required.
His findings included 5.7kms worth of structural needs over the next 5 years, at a cost estimated at $0.5 million, and $1.6 million needed for annual resurfacing.
He recommended preservation management as a priority, or in other words “keep the good roads good.”
Kuhlmeyer emphasized the importance of maintaining roads that are in good condition, especially areas with drainage issues, otherwise it will be more costly in the long run if they let them get to the point of having to rebuild them.
Council discussed issues with gravel in some of the township’s areas and the cost of regular maintenance of that type of surface and the resulting dust maintenance for roads in close proximities to houses, and the potential for revisiting it in the future.
Superintendent of Public Works, Steve Peace, suggested that there are also some roads with surface types that can be downgraded, which would help with balancing costs.
Councillor, Robert Lacroix, discussed the importance of brushing and ditching as essential ongoing maintenance to keep the roads in good condition, in addition to keeping water away from them.
Peace advised that the roads are being inspected on a regular basis and that staff will make necessary adjustments in support of the study. He added that they are “seeing success of investment” from Council’s efforts over the recent years.
