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$800k Dufferin Rail Corridor Resurfacing Project Approved

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$800,000 DUFFERIN RAIL CORRIDOR RESURFACING PROJECT APPROVED

The trailway that runs along what used to be the Dufferin Rail Corridor of the Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway is set for improvement.

On May 27, 2021, Dufferin County’s Infrastructure and Environmental Services Committee received a report from the director of public works and county engineer, Scott Burns, on rehabilitating and enhancing the trail on the former rail corridor. Burns’s document contained a recommendation suggesting the project, estimated to cost $800,000, be approved and funded from reserve accounts. The committee unanimously approved the plan.

Burns describes the increased use of outdoor amenities due to the pandemic and how that is not expected to return to prior levels anytime soon. Among the local outside assets seeing a rise in usage is the rail corridor trail. As such, resurfacing the entire 38.1 km length of Dufferin’s portion of the course (goes from Orangeville through Shelburne into Corbetton as shown in the report) is being suggested to the committee.

The treatment intended to be used on the trail is a stone dust and limestone screen product. Burns says this offers a low-maintenance and durable surface that also results in a more usable, smooth and versatile trail.

Moreover, the staff paper reveals how the project work will coincide with that being performed by Grey County along the northern section of their connecting trail that extends to Owen Sound. The stated benefit of this is the ability to offer a more consistent experience along the entire length of the track.

As mentioned, the $800,000 trail improvement project will be funded through reserves. In 2013, Dufferin County received money to permit the installation of an electric power transmission line along the former rail corridor. The agreement required $750,000 of the proceeds generated to be invested in a community project. It was advised that the cash remaining from the deal, $670,000, should be used for this purpose. The remaining $130,000 needed for the trail resurfacing is said to come from the Trails Capital Account. Burns articulates that some work may be conducted in-house to realize cost savings.

In collaboration with Dufferin County’s new Tourism and Climate Change functions, Burns delineates several benefits that can be realized from enhancing the former rail corridor trail. He explains how increasing the tourism readiness of the asset will address requirements for future product and experience development initiatives. Moreover, municipalities linked through multi-use trail networks that allow for active transportation will provide opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The text states that the Dufferin County Former Rail Corridor project could begin this year, and updates will be provided to the Infrastructure and Environmental Services Committee as work progresses.

References – $800k Dufferin Rail Corridor Resurfacing Project Approved

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