The “finishing touches” for the work on Santa’s Village Rd. in Bracebridge will be made in 2023.
The project was originally scheduled to wrap up by the end of 2022. However, work has been halted until spring 2023.
Officials with the District of Muskoka say there was a delay in obtaining the necessary permits and the road material took longer than expected to settle.
They add the remaining work will be done in spring 2023 and will wrap up before the summer starts. According to them, there will be “limited disruptions” once work resumes with only temporary closures needed.
The “final touches” of the project include paving parts of the road, installing 300 metres of sanitary service under the Beaver Creek River and Trans Canada Pipeline, driveway restoration, and landscaping.
As part of the project, the speed limit on the road was lowered to 40 km/h. When the project is finished, officials say a “community safety zone” will be constructed along Muskoka Rd. 118 to the Santa’s Village Theme Park. Mark Misko, the district’s Director of Engineering and Transportation, explains the zone is a tool municipalities have and often use for the area surrounding schools. “The community safety zone, in this case, was requested during public consultation,” he says, adding it doubles the penalty for speeding and some other infractions.