Blyth-area G2G Rail Trail tunnel construction to avoid July, August

BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN

Huron County is moving ahead with the construction of a new tunnel to properly connect a portion of the Goderich-to-Guelph (G2G) Rail Trail just west of Blyth.

 

Director of Public Works Imran Khalid led the presentation, which went ahead on March 21 at the Blyth and District Community Centre with about 30 people in attendance. He laid out the work involved and the projected timeline, though he couldn’t be too specific, as the tender is still out and has yet to be awarded.

 

The work should take about four weeks to complete, he said, with some serious excavation closing Blyth Road in that area during that period of time. An official detour will run south on Base Line to east on Londesborough Road to north on London Road to access Blyth from the west.

 

Central Huron Mayor Jim Ginn, who was in attendance, mentioned that Hullett-McKillop Road in Central Huron is paved and could serve as a local detour, while Blyth’s John Stadelmann noted that local dirt roads may be used by locals. The Huron County team also noted that all homes and driveways would be accessible to local traffic during construction, while the road will be closed to through traffic.

 

Khalid told those in attendance that he didn’t yet know exactly when the work would take place, as the tenders have yet to close for the project. However, the county will be actively avoiding the months of July and August, peak tourism months for the businesses at the intersection of Blyth and London Roads. Director of Economic Development Vicki Lass, who was also on hand, said this was done after consultation with those business stakeholders, acknowledging that they were inconvenienced last summer and fall as well during the traffic light construction at that intersection that lasted months.

 

Some in attendance offered up some suggestions in regards to timing. Huron Pioneer Thresher and Hobby Association President Cole McDonald told Khalid about the association’s annual reunion on the weekend after Labour Day every year, suggesting the county avoid closures on that weekend. Khalid said he’d been made aware of the event and that would be taken into consideration. Similarly, a farmer in attendance suggested that the county be cognizant of seeding and harvest seasons, which Khalid said would also be taken into consideration. 

 

While the tender has yet to close, Khalid said that having the project completed sooner in the season, rather than later, would be the county’s preference, but that ultimately the tender process would dictate the timeline. Lass did say that the hope is that the project will be complete by Halloween.

 

Walton’s Chris Lee, a founding member of G2G Inc. and a former board of directors member, spoke at the meeting as an advocate for the trail, saying that this tunnel project, with an estimated cost of $500,000, is only one part of a $5 million campaign to make the entire trail accessible from one end to the other. He also noted the history of the project, which began with $50,000 from Regional Tourism Organization (RTO) 4, an amount that was matched by Huron County. The rest of the funds will be raised by those involved with the trail.

 

He noted a handful of regulations pertaining to the work, according to the Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code, which dictates that any structure that spans more than three metres has to have a minimum design life of 75 years. He also said that, following the guidance of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, the slope of approaches to the tunnel will have a grade of no more than five per cent.

 

He also detailed some designs that were considered, but ultimately eschewed in favour of the tunnel, which will be 3.6 metres wide and 2.7 metres high.

 

The tender closes on April 3. At that point, a bidder will be chosen and Khalid said the county will likely follow up with another public meeting to present that information and address any further questions that members of the public may have.

 

Lee ended the presentation with a quick note on accessibility, bringing to everyone’s attention that accessibility advisor and avid trail user Julie Sawchuk of Blyth was also in attendance. He said that, when the project has reached completion and, thanks to accessibility upgrades at the Goderich beaches on the shores of Lake Huron, the trail will be completely accessible from Guelph to the Lake Huron shoreline, which is pretty amazing.

 

He also said that, when the tunnel is complete and open to the public, the organization hopes to have an event to celebrate that milestone and raise awareness for the projects that still need to be completed and he asked everyone in attendance to consider themselves invited.