Tyendinaga Township Mayor Claire Kennelly says 401 closures will be top of mind in 2024.
His Worship says each time the Emergency Detour Route is required in the municipality, it puts a ton of strain on roads, which are not meant to hold the weight or number of vehicles.
After last years closure of both the east and west bound lanes in the spring, they reached out to the province, but have not had a response.
“But we have had meetings ourselves with the OPP, with the neighbouring municipalities, and what we can do to try and alleviate some of those measures.”
He says every time there is a highway closure, the municipality gets nailed.
Infrastructure work on local roadways will be a focus.
“We try to rebuild or reconstruct some sections of road. We have to do that, we have so many and we have over 200 kilometres of road.”
Kennelly added that they focus on having in house staff do most of the work, because if they contract out, the cost is much higher.
He says keeping costs down is critical as purchasing power is lower due to inflation and the costs of material and insurance.
