Minto approves pedestrian crossing, tenders for roadwork
Crossover to be located in Harriston
By Denny Scott
MINTO – Town council here approved several public works projects on April 21, including a pedestrian crossover at the intersection of Arthur Street West and John Street in Harriston.
Roads and drainage manager Mike McIsaac told council residents had requested crossover locations in Harriston, including the aforementioned intersection.
“Triton Engineering previously reviewed this intersection in a letter dated March 5, 2019,” McIsaac stated in the report.
“At that time, the location did not meet the criteria for a pedestrian crossover. However, the report recommended that the town continue to monitor pedestrian activity to better understand movement patterns and volumes, and to reassess the need in the future.”
McIsaac noted the additional monitoring revealed the intersection is a “key pedestrian route connecting the north and south sides of Harriston.”
“A pedestrian crossover at this location would provide a safer connection, particularly for residents accessing the Lions Medical Centre and Lions Park from the south side of town,” McIsaac stated in the report.
Councillors asked about surrounding uses, with staff saying there are sidewalks that lead to and from the intersection.
Council received the report and directed staff to proceed with installing a Level 2 Type B pedestrian crossover at the intersection.
The project was included in the 2026 capital budget, according to McIsaac’s report.
Young Street bridge work
McIsaac next discussed Young Street bridge work in Harriston, which had gone to tender, resulting in four under-budget tenders with a numbered company recommended for rehabilitation work at $812,440.
Council passed a motion directing staff to award the contract, with questions about when the project would start.
McIsaac said the timing window would be approximately the full construction season, with a pre-construction site meeting to happen soon.
“The contractor will provide us with the timelines associated to it,” McIsaac said. “I can’t [give a time frame] but it will be completed by the end of the season.”
Funding for the project was part of the 2026 capital budget, the report stated.
Arthur Street
McIsaac reported the Arthur Street reconstruction in Harriston had “grew legs” since it was originally considered in previous years.
He said funding had been applied for, but that was just for stormwater, sidewalks and road construction.
“It was a good thing we didn’t get it,” he said. “We had to include some bridge work, the pedestrian crossover and improvements at the stop light.”
While there is some water and sanitary work to be completed, the major components will be what was added, McIsaac told council.
“With this tender, we received three bids between on-budget and up to $1 million over the proposed budget,” he said.
“The low tender was from Steed and Evans,” at $3,380,000, however there were mathematical errors and the actual price would be $3,363,200.
He recommended approving the submission.
Council approved the project, but not before Mayor Dave Turton asked how the roadwork would impact traffic in the area.
McIsaac said some of that would be decided during the project, which he expected to run through 2027.
He said he hopes the project is started by the end of May, and there is technically a two-year window for it, but he hopes to be doing surface asphalt and deficiency checks next year.
Turton specifically asked about traffic from Listowel to Clifford, and McIsaac said a detour would have to be discussed with the contractor.
