James A Gifford Causeway

There has been a lot of behind-the-scenes work taking place on the Causeway Project.  County Staff, Engineering Consultants, the Contractor and First Nations representatives have been working together on various aspects of the project. The Federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) permit we have received does not allow any in-work water to proceed until the water temperature is consistently between 5 and 10 degrees Celsius.  The temperature is being monitored closely and once this level has been reached, in-water work will begin at the east end of the Causeway, which will see the construction of a rock jetty, and then progress from east to west.  Over the next few weeks you will see various activities taking place at the Causeway as we prepare for this work to begin.

The DFO permit has been received and work on Phase 1 (the rock fill, base stabilization) of the James A. Gifford Causeway Improvement Plan is expected to begin late October/early November. 

Phase 1 involves the placement of rock on the south side of the Causeway. This project is fully funded by Peterborough County and is not tied to any external funding. 

Watch the latest County Connection video for more information.

The County is planning to begin rock base widening on the J.A. Gifford Causeway in October 2019. County Council awarded the tender to Drain Brothers Excavating and will begin work in October/November 2019. The project involves the placement of rock on the south side of the Causeway.

The County will be providing advance notice of our exact start date closer to that time.

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Causeway Widening Cost Savings Opportunities Report to Council

Today at Council Council, Council reaffirmed its' commitment to move forward with the James A. Gifford Causeway short-term infrastructure improvements which include:

Other long term infrastructure plans will be reviewed as part of the Transportation Master Plan update 2019-2020.

The County of Peterborough in partnership with Curve Lake First Nation will be monitoring the status of the walleye in Chemong Lake for the next 5 years. This spring you may see County consultants along with Curve Lake First Nation community members collecting information on walleye that inhabit and spawn in nearshore areas of Chemong Lake along the Causeway and eastern shoreline.

As part of this study, water quality, egg collection and night monitoring will occur during the month of April.  Water quality will be captured using data logging equipment placed on the lakebed. The sampling procedures we use are not harmful to the fish.

It is very important for your safety and for the integrity of our programs that the equipment is not disturbed. Signs will be placed at both ends of the Gifford Causeway notifying the public about the fish monitoring in progress.

How will this impact you?

During the evening while we are performing the monitoring you may see monitors traveling by boat and counting the number of walleye observed using spot light style lighting equipment. Generally, workers could be onsite between 6 p.m. and 4 a.m.

We wanted you to be aware in advance, so that you are not concerned if you see workers and lights throughout the night.

As we move forward, please be assured that all information updates will be shared with the public and will also be posted to this webpage.  Watch our Fish Monitoring Video:

County Council adopted in principle the County’s Strategic Asset Management Policy and Asset Management Plan.

The Strategic Asset Management Policy and Asset Management Plan are legislative requirements in Ontario Regulation 588/17 under the Infrastructure for Jobs and Prosperity Act, 2015. Both the policy and plan will guide the County during budget and other long term financial planning decisions.

Strategic Asset Management Policy

The Asset Management Plan (AMP) has these goals:

1. Compliance with Ontario Regulation 588/17
2. Identify the work needed to maintain the County’s infrastructure at current levels, and at the lowest possible cost
3. Identify the work needed to meet capacity demands
4. Present options to fund the identified needs
5. Articulate risks if needs are not funded
6. Operationalize asset management by ensuring the processes, people and systems are in place for ongoing improvements

The plan covers all assets owned by the County valued at $5,000 or greater including Engineered Structures (Bridges and Culverts), Roads, Cross Culverts (less than 3m dia.), Facilities, Equipment, Traffic Signals, Forests, Trails and the Landfill.

Growth related Infrastructure needs are covered in the Transportation Master Plan (TMP). The TMP is a comprehensive assessment of the County’s current and future transportation system improvement needs. It includes recommendations for new / improved infrastructure (e.g. roads, transit, cycling, walking), operational design standards, and transportation policies.  The TMP was last updated in 2014 with an updated plan in 2019.

Council’s approval of the Asset Management Plan (AMP) acknowledges the following:

• Current asset inventory

• Current condition of assets

• 10 year capital needs analysis

• Current funding levels

• Financial analysis

• The funding gap

The AMP identifies a gap of approximately $52 million between funding currently being set aside, and what will be needed to fund the maintenance of County infrastructure over the next 10 years. The adoption of the AMP in principle, does not commit the County to fully funding the identified infrastructure funding gap, but does acknowledge that a plan must be in place by July 1, 2024.

Council also directed staff that in consideration of the infrastructure and funding requirements identified in the budget and the Asset Management Plan, a report be returned to Council providing updated costs to complete the widening and rehabilitation of the James A. Gifford Causeway and for staff to provide recommendations on how costs could be reduced.  Staff will be bringing this report to the March 20^th meeting of County Council.

While no official date has yet been set for the commencement of this project, Peterborough County staff continue to work with Department of Fisheries and Oceans and other partners through an established process that, when complete, will allow us to move forward with the project.

The work planned is to expand the rock base of the Causeway to reinforce the base of the roadway. This is the first phase of a multi-year plan for the James A. Gifford Causeway. The rock expansion contract has been awarded to Drain Bros. Excavating with rock fill being placed on the south side of the Causeway.  The rock expansion project is a multi-year contract and it is anticipated that the work will continue throughout the winter and will extend through 2019 and 2020.

Upon completion of the rock expansion project, rehabilitation of the asphalt surface of the 2-lane Causeway is planned to be completed.

Traffic control will be provided with a reduction to one-lane at points along the Causeway throughout the project.  The public can follow the progress of the project on this webpage as well as through social media (Facebook @PtboCounty and Twitter @PtboCounty).

We would like to thank the public for their patience throughout this important project on the County’s busiest roadway.