FAQs
Why is the municipality considering the gravel road option?
The County of Prince Edward maintains over 1,100 kilometres of roads, excluding private lanes, and MTO controlled Highway 62, and parts of Loyalist Parkway. County roads are deteriorating faster than the available resources to maintain them.
Many of the municipality's surface treated roads in rural areas have reached the end of their design service life and need to be resurfaced. However, full rehabilitation of roads each year is limited due to the high costs, which continue to increase every year.
The municipality is using temporary patch material on many of these roads to extend their life; however, this approach is labour-intensive and expensive and still leaves the road in poor condition.
Following direction from Council, staff are investigating the possibility of returning some gravel roads in order to improve the road surface and realize cost savings over the long term. This will also allow staff time to be dedicated to maintaining other roads.
What factors will the municipality consider when deciding to return surface treated roads to gravel?
Municipal staff have identified four factors they will use when identifying roads that could be returned to gravel:
Traffic Factor
Traffic will be determined by the average annual daily traffic (AADT): the average two-way traffic over a 24-hour period under normal conditions.
Roads with lower traffic would be given higher priority to return to gravel
Functional Class Factor
Functional class will be determined by the percentage of AADT traffic volume that is trucks/large vehicles.
Roads with lower truck traffic would be given higher priority to return to gravel
Driveway Factor
The number of driveways (commercial or residential) abutting the roadway. This factor will be measured as an average per kilometre.
Roads with a lower number of driveways per kilometre would be given higher priority to return to gravel
Maintenance Factor
Maintenance factor will be determined by the expected maintenance requirement if the road is returned to gravel. For example, the condition of the road base and existing drainage will impact how much grading the road will require.
Roads requiring only routine maintenance would be given higher priority to return to gravel
My road is on the list. When will it return to gravel?
No decisions have been made on returning specific roads to gravel.
Staff have identified some roads that are candidates for return to gravel. The public now has the chance to offer feedback before Council considers a staff report at the June 27 Committee of the Whole meeting.
The municipality will provide the public with further updates after Council's decision.