Alfred-Plantagenet Concession Road 2 north of Lefaivre will receive a $150,000 gravel upgrade this summer, thanks to savings from four paving projects scheduled in the township.
Township council voted to approve a motion to add Type A granular gravel over a distance of 5,700 metres on Concession 2, between County Road 15 and Montée Ouellette, at a cost of $150,000. While the amount had not been allocated in the 2021 budget, a savings of $206,000 from four paving projects in the township, will allow for both the addition of the Concession 2 project, as well as the completion of asphalt in the parking lot of the Lucien-Delorme Community Centre in Wendover.
Following the opening of tenders for asphalt projects on Principale Street West in Wendover, and those on Jessop Falls Street, Parent Street and Pitch Off Road in Plantagenet, the township is anticipating saving of approximately $206,000 compared to money set aside for the projects in the 2021 budget.
Ward 2 Councillor Ian Walker questioned the urgency of gravel upgrades to the roadway at township council’s regular meeting on April 6. Walker noted he had recently driven Concession 2 and several other roadways in the township and wondered why the roadway in Lefaivre was considered a priority.
“If we grade it right now, it’s dry, so the road seems nice, but as soon as it will get wet, if you go and check it you will see all the sludge on it,” explained Superintendent of Public Works Roch Hébert. “It’s because there is too much fine in the mixture of granulars. That’s why (it has been) put in front of other projects.”
The explanation was satisfactory to Walker, who voted along with the rest of council to unanimously approve the Concession 2 repairs.