Bruce County has retained a company to make roadway repairs to a stretch of Bruce Road 15 after it was damaged by flooding this past winter.
The stretch of road has been closed since a privately-owned dyke in Pinkerton, causing water levels to rise for the Teeswater River, leading to flooding with the road and the surrounding area in March.
Bruce County council approved the move for the county to enter into an agreement with Schmidt’s Paving Ltd. to complete the emergency rehabilitation of the road as soon as possible.
Once the repair work is completed, then the road would be able to re-open to traffic with continued flood monitoring protocols in place.
During a council meeting held on April 23, council received an update from Transportation and Environmental Services Director Adam Stanley, who informed council that the road may not be able to re-open until June.
“Since that time, there has been public interest to re-open the roadway. As such, staff directed BM Ross to re-assess the risk of flooding re-occurrence,” said Stanley. “They have determined that the risk of flooding is low between the months of May and November, based on historical data on the Teeswater River.”
The flooding, and the subsequent failure of the flood control structure, was the result of heavy rainfall in addition to the spring thaw that is said to be a once-in-a-hundred-year event.
“If the upstream flood control structure is not repaired by November 1st, 2026, staff will seek further guidance and report back to council.”
Flood damage mitigation for the surrounding properties was led by the Municipality of Brockton, with the assistance of local contractors, Hydro One, and municipal staff.
A cofferdam, made of large sandbags, was constructed on March 19th and 20th.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority initially said that the re-opening of Bruce Road 15 would be delayed based on their respective guidelines.
Stanley also informed council that with Schmidt’s Paving onboard and ready, the repairs can be carried out within the next couple of weeks.