County presents emergency routes to Council

Some reprieve for Cramahe

Cramahe Council got to see firsthand the proposed changes in the 401 emergency detour routes and it offers little reprieve for the township.

The report, presented by Peter Neilsen, Construction Manager for Northumberland County, proposes that the current south route be de-designated and replaced by a northerly route.

When the plans were originally presented to County Council, Cramahe Mayor Marc Coombs and Alnwick/Haldimand’s Bill Finlay asked for a deferral.

The current route which snakes across the south end of the county following County Rd 2 for most of the way, was established in 1999-2000. There are numerous bottlenecks in Cobourg, Grafton, Colborne and Brighton. The repeated detours have created extensive wear on these sections of the road.

In the original proposal prepared by county staff there were two routes proposed, one north and another south of the 401. Subsequently the OPP and Ministry of Transport recommended the de-designation of the southern route.

The single emergency detour route (EDR) eases the load on the OPP during the closure, reduces points of conflict, allows easier maneuverability for transports, and moves traffic out of the centre of Colborne in some situations.

The new northern route will travel eastbound from Cobourg or Grafton along the Centreton Rd and down through Castleton to the 401. If the highway is open from Colborne, vehicles will return to the highway there. If not, they will drive down through the former village of Colborne and on to Brighton where they will head north of the 401 and then east.

When the closure is in the westbound lanes of the 401 traffic will drive down into Brighton and then west through Colborne before running back up to Castleton and west from there. If the 401 westbound is closed at Colborne the vehicles coming off the highway will head north to Castleton, avoiding Colborne.

To meet the needs of the extra traffic, there will be additional rehabilitation work done on County Roads 22, 45 and 74. Money has bee requested to upgrade the section of County Rd 25 between Castleton and the 401.

Councillor Ed Van Egmond spoke first on the topic, suggesting that speed limit signs be posted on County Rd 21. The road is not on the detour route but is often chosen by drivers with GPS devices. The councillor is concerned about the safety of farm operators when they drive their farm vehicles along the road during a detour.

Deputy Mayor Jim Williams noted that he had received complaints from residents in the Castleton area who observed that vehicles driving through Castleton on detour failed to stop at the stop sign.

Mayor Coombs hopes to see the northern route extended in the future.