SD&G/SOUTH DUNDAS – One half of a road swap between South Dundas and the United Counties has been done with SD&G taking ownership of Upper Canada Road.
The bylaw to finalize the transfer was passed Monday, following an in-camera county council meeting.
But only half the deal is done, which would see the county take Upper Canada Road and South Dundas take ownership of a section of County Road 1 (Carman Road), south of County Road 2.
“The issue is the rebuild (of CR1 south of CR2) was going to be done for the last three years and I think there’s council support that the counties be a little involved, maybe even bringing that up to municipal standard and then we take it over,” South Dundas Deputy Mayor Jim Locke told Cornwall Newswatch.
“It was basically a done deal until this Upper Canada (Road) came along…it’s called a swap, I think the counties can be convinced that maybe we need a little help on upgrading that road,” Locke said.
The deputy mayor believes there’s about $200,000 in work needed on Carmen Road to bring it up to municipal standards.
As for Upper Canada Road, the county has already budgeted $200,000 to repair the connecting link between Highway 401 and County Road 2, west of Upper Canada Village.
The county is doing the work with the expectation the St. Lawrence Parks Commission will be chipping in $150,000.
County Director of Transportation and Planning Services, Ben de Haan, told Cornwall Newswatch the parks commission is still maintaining the road and he will be meeting with them soon to work out a transition plan.
It’s expected that the county will officially own the road in May or June, de Haan said.
A report is expected at next month’s council meeting “outlining a framework for that potential transfer” of the section of County Road 1 to South Dundas, he said.
South Dundas learned just before the 2014 municipal election that it was the owner of Upper Canada Road since 1975, even though the parks commission had been maintaining it.