Meaford council will review a funding application today for the Sykes Street road project to be submitted to the Ministry of Transportation (MTO).
If approved, the application will go to the MTO Connecting Links program, which helps municipalities pay construction and repair costs for connecting links infrastructure, including roads, bridges, and storm sewers.
In Meaford, 3.45 kilometres of Sykes Street North and South – between Ford Avenue and the MTO operations yard east of St. Vincent Street – is considered the municipality’s connecting link for provincial Highway 26.
The municipality submitted grant applications in 2023 and 2025 to complete the required resurfacing work, but was unsuccessful. As part of the 2026 capital program, specific areas of concern on Sykes Street are being addressed by the municipality. The 10 per cent municipal contribution previously budgeted for Sykes Street resurfacing was reallocated to fund this work.
The resurfacing work is scheduled to be completed in 2027 for $443,000. The municipality will submit a funding application to recover 90 per cent of the cost through the Connecting Links program.
The municipality was successful with its applications for the program in 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022 for work along Sykes Street. The funding has provided up to $2,855,150 that would have otherwise come from general taxation, which would have restricted other municipal projects.
If the grant is received, the resurfacing project will be completed in 2027. Construction would be tendered in the spring, with work taking place during the summer. The total cost of the project is estimated at $443,000. It is anticipated that one lane of traffic will be maintained throughout the project, though this will be confirmed during the tender preparation stage. If funding is not received, the project will be postponed until 2028 and re-evaluated.
The application deadline is November 12.