Chatham-Kent completed an environmental assessment study to develop an interim realignment plan for Talbot Trail between Coatsworth Road and Stevenson Road.
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According to a release from the municipality, the study “considered all reasonable alternatives” using an infrastructure protection design criteria for a minimum 30-year hazard zone.
This would allow the municipality to reopen the erosion-impacted section of Talbot Trail in the interim while maintaining environmental clearance for the previously approved long-term protection plan.
In February, the council approved the preferred alternative as outlined in the study.
This includes the implementation of a new, realigned right of way and two-lane arterial roadway to the northwest of its current position between Coatsworth Road and 3089 Talbot Trail.
“This will remove Talbot Trail out of the 30-year hazard zone and permit the reopening of the roadway,” the release said.
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The plan was not without its critics, as some residents gave deputations to council asking for a more long-term fix.
However, others expressed a desire to reopen the road sooner.
Estimated cost is about $4 million, plus HST. This includes property acquisition, road design and construction, and relocation of private services and utilities.
Talbot Trail was downloaded to the municipality in the late 1990s. In 2019, the municipality closed the stretch near Coatsworth after erosion from Lake Erie damaged its structural integrity.
In 2010, the municipality built a $200,000 bypass in the same area after nearby bank erosion caused a major crack in the road.
The environmental assessment report, posted last week, is available online at www.letstalkchatham-kent.ca until Aug. 2, for a 30-day public review.
Following the 30-day review period, the municipality will proceed with land acquisition, detailed design and supporting studies.
Tendering and construction of the improvements are planned for 2025.
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