The plan for Talbot Trail is being tweaked and many are happy that it will save taxpayers millions of dollars in costs, get done quicker, and save many nearby farm properties from expropriation.
Wheatley Councillor Lauren Anderson's motion was approved unanimously Monday night at the Chatham-Kent council meeting.
The motion shortens the length of the Talbot Trail improvements by 20 kilometres. They were originally to go from the 2nd Concession Line (Ellerbeck Road) to the east of County Road 12.
Municipal staff told council the new solution should open Talbot Trail quicker between Coatsworth Road and Stevenson Road, depending how in-depth the new solution is. Talbot Trail has been closed for almost four years due to erosion and the new solution could move the road closer to the shore of Lake Erie and further away from the 2nd Concession.
The new solution will come back to council for approval in January or February with construction slated for sometime next year, if it's approved.
Talbot Trail resident Lucy Glenn said the new solution addresses many concerns the residents have.
"This means that a new road could be moved south away from the 2nd Concession. Such that it could be located much closer to Lake Erie. If this were to happen it could help to maintain our scenic and historic Talbot Trail," said Glenn.
Glenn said 700 residents petitioned council in January when the original environmental assessment was presented that would have relocated Talbot Trail further away from the lake and closer to the 2nd Concession by using a 100 year hazard zone because of climate change.
Life long Talbot Trail resident Kim Klassen told council the new solution would cut back on plant-killing road dust and increased noise and vehicle traffic.
"Obsessive dust, noise, and the considerable maintenance that needs to be done on this section of gravel road due to increased traffic. The 2nd Concession was not designed to be a highway. It's narrow with no shoulders and has the same number of cars and trucks that a normal paved highway would have," Klassen said.
Talbot Trail business owner Kim VanDeven said many businesses along the lake have suffered because of the lengthy road closure.
"Many local businesses along Talbot Trail have felt the economic impact of the closure. Talbot Trail has been promoted as a tourist route with many parks and stop offs along the way," said VanDeven.
Several residents along Talbot Trail have been calling on the municipality to go back to the drawing board and come up with a better plan to address erosion along Lake Erie.