The District of Muskoka will raise a section of Fraserburg Road to address flooding.
At its meeting on Wednesday, the Engineering and Public Works committee approved raising the road between Cridiford Rd. and Colony Rd. to “the maximum extent possible”, as well as replacing the guide rail and protecting the shoreline by filling the shoulder and adding blast rock.
It’s in response to the floods of 2019 that saw the road fully closed and the Canadian Armed Forces deployed to help. The item had been brought to council several times since, but a final decision was postponed as the district consulted with biologists and conservation experts.
Three delegations were made as part of the hour-long discussion, with local resident and turtle conservationist Bob Dyment voicing concerns about the snapping and Blanding’s turtles which nest along the roadway.
Dyment told council that last year there were 300 turtle hatchlings in that stretch, and it would be “impossible” to make the changes without violating the Endangered Species Act.
“Turtles do not relocate easily,” said Dyment. “They come back to the same spot, even if you damage that and destroy it. They’re going to keep coming back there. They’re going to come up onto the road and get killed. I’ve experienced this firsthand.”
A petition opposing the work had garnered more than 900 signatures by the time of the meeting. Dyment added the proposed changes would “in no way” stop flooding as the road is not being sufficiently raised.
Mark Misko, Muskoka’s Director of Engineering and Transportation, says they initially considered raising the road surface above the peak water levels from 2019, but doing so would compromise the nearby bridge. The changes, he added, would not eliminate flooding entirely but make sure the road is passable in all but the worst flood conditions.
According to Misko, the contractor for the work is trained to look out for species at risk, and a biologist will be called any time wildlife could be impacted. He noted the harvest, incubate, and release program the district used for the reconstruction of Santa’s Village Rd. that would temporarily remove turtles from the site as the work is completed.
In response to the turtle concerns, Councillor Brenda Rhodes put forward an amendment to formally implement Species at Risk mitigation measures before and during construction.
“I want to thank Mr. Dyment for your work in bringing this to the attention of district staff,” said Rhodes. “I think this has allowed them to expand how they look at work being done on roads.”
If District Council gives the final signoff at its July meeting, Misko said the work would start and end in the fall, after most turtles have cleared the area.