South Frontenac Comprehensive Roads Needs Study

In 2022, the Township hired WSP/Golder, an engineering firm to do a comprehensive roads needs study. The total project cost of $49,774 was fully funded by a grant from the Ontario Municipal Modernization Fund (2019). The findings were presented to Council in December 2022. This project will give residents some background on the study and its findings.

Why did we complete the study?

With more than 800 kms of municipal roads, roads are one of the Township’s largest budget items. We applied for grant money to complete this study as part of the regular updates to the Township’s Asset Management Plan so we would have accurate, up-to-date information on the condition of our road network so Council could make informed decisions when deciding which roads to prioritize for road work in the short-term and long-term.

How were roads assessed?

Road surface conditions were assessed using standard Ministry of Transportation tools and ratings. Note the ratings and tools differ slightly for the three different types of roads in the Township: paved (asphalt), surface-treated, and gravel. Roads were examined for surface distress and ride conditions and then assigned an overall Pavement Condition Index (PCI) rating.

Key findings

Overall, the Township’s network average ratings for hard surfaced roads were “Good” due to our ongoing pavement preservation and maintenance programs, and “Fair” for gravel roads indicating a need to consider increased investments in the near future. Here is a “Report Card” style snapshot of the findings. We’ve shared a summary of the key findings below with definitions for terms used in slideshow format. You can also read the full report under Documents. Note the full report is quite large so it may take a minute to load.

Slideshow viewing tips:

• Click on the forward or back arrows beside the page numbers in the lower left corner to scroll through the pages
• To view it in full screen, click on the "Enter full screen" icon in the bottom right hand corner. Click the "Escape" key to exit full screen at any time.

How will the information be used?

The study provides high level recommendations for road work, including priorities and costs in the short-term (1-5 years) and long-term (6-10 years). We’ll use these findings and consider these recommendations when preparing our draft 2023 budget and the new five-year capital plan (2023-2027) for roads and bridges. The draft five-year capital plan will be presented to Council in early 2023.

How to see the rating for your road

We’ve provided an alphabetical listing of all municipal owned roads in the Township in the documents section, “Road Inventory A-Z”. To see your road, open the file, then look for your road in the listing.

Its important to understand that this study and the lists show how road conditions individually compare across the network, however it does not specify what roads will be upgraded or when. The operational characteristics and risk factors for each road are taken into consideration when planning improvements. The study provides Council with accurate information on the state of the overall network and data to make informed decisions particularly between similar projects which may compete for funding.

Roads Study January 2023.pptx by South Frontenac