Community News

DISASTER ASSISTANCE PAID FOR ROAD PAVING, WALSH SAYS

on the road for residents and for visitors, especially if towing something like a boat.

"It's not just us. There's a lot of people who drive their boats down to the boat club. They've got these trailers and nice boats all banging around," he noted. "They've got to go 10 to 12 miles an hour because of the holes, and it's one-lane traffic almost."

He expressed concerns over emergency vehicles being able to access the area due to the road conditions.

Ward 5 Coun. Tom Lewis, who represents Crystal Beach and Ridgeway, has also raised questions as to why work would be done on a road when officials knew a large storm was approaching the area.

"There was some thanks

for the work that was done, but also some concern that it shouldn't have happened before the storm," explained Lewis.

Kelly Walsh, director of

infrastructure services for Fort Erie, explained the goal of laying the asphalt was to prevent the need for maintenance on the road as much as possible while

the town continues to work on a permanent fix.

He also explained that funding for the laying of asphalt prior to the Dec. 23 storm was covered by Municipal

Disaster Recovery Assistance, meaning it did not come out of the town's budget.

Officials for the town say the asphalt laid prior to the storm actually protected it from some potential damage.

"Believe it or not, the asphalt actually did some good. We did not lose as much road as we thought we would lose after review. In that sense, it's good that we put it down," said Walsh.

The town says it hopes to begin fixing some of the concerns residents have raised to make the road more driveable in the near future.

"We are planning to reconstruct Point Abino Road with significant climate resiliency in 2023. There will be a new wall on the east side of the road, the beach side as well as raising the road in elevation to provide more protection," added Walsh.

The improvements to the road are still design process, and will require various approvals before the work begins, but the goal is to have work completed by the end of this year.

Van Bolderen says regardless of how Fort Erie chooses to move forward with addressing the issues along the road, he hopes communication with residents will improve in the near future.

STORY BEHIND THE STORY: As residents raised questions about paving done on Point Abino Road days before a large winter storm hit, reporter Brilee Sears reached out to see what their frustrations were, and what Fort Erie is doing to address those concerns.

NEWS

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2023-01-26T08:00:00.0000000Z

2023-01-26T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://communitynews.pressreader.com/article/281724093682457

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