Northumberland County wraps up summer roadwork, prepares for fall projects

Cobourg, ON –November 5, 2024 – As Northumberland County wraps up a productive summer construction season, County residents and road users will see the final stages of critical infrastructure work completed before winter. Over the summer months, Public Works teams, in combination with construction contractors, successfully repaved and rehabilitated 34 kilometers of County roads, surface treated over 100 kms of area roads, and advanced several key bridge and culvert projects to enhance safety and accessibility.

Northumberland County maintains a network of nearly 500 kilometers of roadways across almost 3,000 square kilometers, as well as over 100 bridges and culverts.

According to Denise Marshall, Director of Public Works, this year’s work reflects the County’s ongoing commitment to delivering safe, reliable infrastructure to support residents, businesses, and visitors. “Our team is proud of the accomplishments made throughout the summer season. These improvements are essential to maintaining our transportation infrastructure and preparing for future growth in Northumberland County,” she states.

Highlights of the summer season included the start of the multi-year County Road (CR) 64 rehabilitation project in Brighton with the successful completion of the rural section which included new pavement, culvert replacements, the addition of a paved bike lane and a dedicated turtle nesting area. These enhancements benefit all road users and support environmental sustainability. Planning and preparation for phase two is well underway and is set to begin next spring, which will focus on the urban section of Prince Edward St. within Brighton.

The Burnley Creek Bridge in Warkworth saw concrete structure repairs and approach upgrades, with the replacement of the bridge handrails planned in the coming weeks. Additionally, the County commenced a two-year rehabilitation project of the Baltimore Creek retaining wall along CR 45, north of Harwood Road in Baltimore. This critical infrastructure project will reinforce the creek embankment to prevent erosion and includes tree replacement to support environmental resilience.

Looking ahead:

• The County expects the Baltimore Creek retaining wall project will continue for another four weeks, with single-lane closures on CR 45 between Limekiln Trail and Harwood Road beginning November 7th.
• The Hoards Station Bridge, located east of Campbellford on CR 8, will undergo repairs that are expected to begin November 11 and continue through to December 2. The repairs include the replacement of the west expansion joint that will prevent further deterioration.
• Preliminary design work is also underway for the future replacement of Burnley Bridge in Warkworth, which will replace the existing single-lane bridge with a two-lane structure in 2025. A public information session is in the works later this year for neighbouring residents to review and comment on the project.

As the construction season winds down, the Public Works team is now shifting its focus to winter preparation. Crews are busy safety-checking snowplows and road equipment and stocking up on salt and brine, in preparation for winter maintenance activities ahead.

For more information on Northumberland County’s ongoing infrastructure projects, visit Northumberland.ca/Transportation.