With the potential for newfound money under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP), Dysart is expected to apply for money to do work on a 1.2 km long corridor between the fire hall and former college in the downtown.
Public work director Rob Camelon said the ask would be for the engineering, design and reconstruction from South Street to 1 Sunnyside St.
He said the arterial route that runs through the village of Haliburton gets more than 7,700 vehicles a day.
Camelon suggested the estimated $15,000 for engineering costs to prepare the application come from the infrastructure reserve.
“The municipality does not have any ‘shovel ready’ projects ready for submission, therefore, engineering costs will be incurred to have a proper application finalized by the deadline,” Camelon said in a written report.
The recently-announced ICIP is a $30 billion cost-shared program, with 50 per cent federal, 33 per cent provincial and 17 per cent municipal. Applications are being accepted until May 14. Municipalities should find out if they are successful in the fall and projects must be done by the autumn of 2026.
Camelon noted the project has been knocked back twice for engineering funding through the Connecting Links Program.
The work could include things such as road grade improvements, CCTV inspection of storm and waste water assets, a drainage and hydrology report for the storm system at Victoria Street/Maple Avenue, replacement of sidewalks, road resurfacing, curb and gutter replacement and an assessment for accessibility improvements, for example, pedestrian crossovers.
“It’s anticipated that the entire project would be staged over three years. Financial construction costs are unknown at this time, but are expected to be $1 million or more depending on engineering recommendations,” Camelon said.
Deputy mayor Patrick Kennedy asked if other projects could be considered, such as badly-need road work on Irish Line and the Fort Irwin Road. Coun. Walt McKechnie also felt the road to Fort Irwin should be a priority.
Camelon said they already had data for the Connecting Link project and Mayor Andrea Roberts thought the focus should be “to prioritize the main artery through our town.”
Coun. John Smith asked about a possible bypass from the Industrial Park to Highway 118. Roberts said past councils had discussed it and always decided ‘no’ since the main street would suffer. She said while the village gets congested with traffic in summer months, it is only for six to seven weeks. McKechnie said it would a “kiss of death” to the downtown and questioned why it was even being discussed.
