Bruce County council and Saugeen Shores council are looking for feedback on a plan to realign the major alternate route at the south end of Port Elgin.
An environmental assessment has begun for the fourth phase of a four-year plan to improve Bruce Rd. 25 between Hwy. 21 and Bruce Rd. 33, which serves as the alternate route to and from Bruce Power when Hwy. 21 is closed.
County engineer Brian Knox says an initial master plan created for the area identified issues with both the road and drainage and proposes having Bruce Rd. 33 branch off of its current location to have it intersect Bruce Rd. 25 further east to line up with a planned extension of Bruce St.
He says they are currently accepting feedback from the public and says so far, the public has been largely supportive of the plan.
"So far, we're hearing a bunch from the countryside, suggesting that yes, it's an appropriate solution," says Knox. "We're sensing that by the time comment period closes, which is [February 6], we'll have a better idea of what the public thinks of that potential realignment."
Knox says the first phase of the project is set to move forward this year, which will be storm sewer improvements on Bruce Rd. 25 between the future Bruce St. intersection and Lake Huron, which will cost Bruce County and Saugeen Shores about $1.1-million each.
Saugeen Shores Mayor Mike Smith says there's a need to improve the area where Bruce Rd. 25 and 33 meet, pointing out it's currently a dangerous T-intersection on the side of a hill near the Unifor Family Education Centre.
As development in Saugeen Shores pushes south toward Bruce Rd. 25, Smith says it makes sense to line up Bruce Road 33 and Bruce St. to form an intersection with Bruce Rd. 25.
The estimated total cost of the four-year plan is currently $8.5-million, split between the county and the municipality, though Knox says that number is preliminary and could fluctuate based on potential land purchase prices.
Map showing proposed realignment of Bruce Road 33. [Courtesy of County of Bruce]