A friendly takeover occurred in The Blue Mountains Thursday.
Grey County took ownership of two sections of road that previously were under the town's
jurisdiction.
Scenic Caves Road and the 15th Sideroad were added to the county road network, completing a new east-west route, known as Grey Rd. 119, from the Blue Mountain/Scenic Caves area across the central part of the town to Grey Rd. 13.
The county already had the western portion, from Ravenna to Grey Rd. 13, in its system. That included a stretch over Mill Creek that was washed out by Hurricane Hazel in 1954. That section was rebuilt, through a combination of county and town funding, in 2004, and passes over the largest culvert in Canada.
The new section runs from the bottom of Scenic Caves Rd., up the mountain and across to Ravenna.
Officials hope it will offer an alternative route for traffic to and from the west and southwest, taking some traffic off Highway 26.
The project is part of a regional transportation program involving the town and the county along with Simcoe County, Collingwood, Clearview and Wasaga Beach and the provincial Ministry of Transportation.
"Transportation studies have identified it as an important link in regional transportation to serve the economy and the people of Grey County," said The Blue Mountains Deputy Mayor Duncan McKinlay, a member of the county's Transportation and Public Safety (TAPS) Committee. He added the town and county will be working together to provide summer maintenance and winter control on the new route.
The Blue Mountains Director of Engineering and Public Works Reg Russwurm said the change is a result of a spirit of cooperation between the town and the county. Manager of Roads and Drainage Jim McCannell added that the new county route is ìa natural fit to the roads already assumed by the countyî.
"The county, in recent years, has spent millions of dollars constructing the section of road from Ravenna to Grey Road 13 and the Mill Creek culvert project," said Grey's TAPS Director Gary Shaw, who called the new county road "an important link for east/west traffic into the village core/ski area at the base of the mountain."
"We are pleased that the county recognizes the importance of these roads to visitor way-finding," said Mayor Ellen Anderson, who added the project "is a testament to the good working relationship between the staff and elected officials at the county and municipality."
Grey Rd. 119 will hook into a new traffic circle to be built this year at the intersection of Mountain Rd., Scenic Caves Rd. and Jozo Weider Blvd. at the eastern end of the Blue Mountain resort area. The traffic circle will be the first step in upgrading the road to meet county highway standards. It's being jointly funded by the county, Blue Mountain Resorts, and the town. Work will begin in the next few weeks.
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