Main Street in Hawkesbury is closer to being a connecting link in the United Counties of Prescott and Russell (UCPR) road system.
Currently, the road is entirely owned and maintained by the Town of Hawkesbury from the eastern town limit near Tupper Street to the western town limit near the water treatment plant. East and west of Hawkesbury, the road is County Road 4/Front Road.
On Wednesday, June 24, UCPR Council approved the agreement which will allow for the UCPR to fund some of the costs associated with future construction work on the street, due to its importance as a regional road. The agreement means that costs associated with the rehabilitation of Main Street West in Hawkesbury planned now for 2027 will be included in 2027 UCPR budget discussions.
The Town of Hawkesbury had previously attempted to have Main Street uploaded as a full county road, but that, along with a request to include operational maintenance expenses in the connecting link agreement, were both rejected by the UCPR. Hawkesbury is the only municipality in the UCPR to not have a designated county road within its limits.
A report prepared by UCPR Director of Works Jérémie Bouchard acknowledges that Main Street West in Hawkesbury is in poor condition and while traffic from County Road 4 has likely contributed to this deterioration, staff do not consider it reasonable for the UCPR to assume 100 per cent of the reconstruction costs. Instead, the UCPR will pay for paving for a width of up to 9.3 metres and 25 per cent of the storm sewer rehabilitation costs. Under this arrangement, the UCPR would pay $120,000 for the asphalt pavement, $79,000 for asphalt milling, and $468,000 or 25 per cent of the estimated $1,870,000 storm sewer replacement work.
Main Street East does not require immediate, total reconstruction but it will likely require repaving within three to five years. For that project, UCPR staff recommend the regional government contributes 50 of the cost for 9.3 metres wide of pavement and the Town of Hawkesbury covers the remainder. If underground infrastructure replacement is required, the same cost-sharing arrangement for Main Street West would apply.
Hawkesbury Mayor Robert Lefebvre expressed satisfaction with the proposal and the scope of the agreement. He noted the UCPR had paid 10 per cent of cost of rehabilitating Cécile Bridge on Main Street West in 2025.
Warden Mario Zanth was also pleased with proposal and remarked about the importance of roads in the urban centre of Hawkesbury for regional transportation and its contribution to the UCPR.
