Ongoing Construction Projects
To see all construction reports, notices and detours for the County of Elgin, visit Municipal 511.
What to Expect During Capital Project Construction
Here are answers to some commonly asked questions about road construction, including information for property owners.
Protect valuables; Use of heavy equipment during construction can cause vibration. Please ensure that you have protected any valuables susceptible to damage.
Property owners who have privately owned lawn-watering systems, ornamental landscaping, and/or fencing on the road allowance may be required, at their own expense, to remove and re-install these items onto their own property. Please contact the County Project Manager to determine if you have any items that may require relocation or removal prior to construction.
In the event that, in partnership with the local municipality, the project includes the replacement of watermain. Connection of a new watermain to the existing system will result in potential service disruptions several times throughout the duration of the project. Residents and business owners will receive a door hangar with a minimum of 24 hours advance notice of scheduled construction work that affects your normal water supply, and the duration of the planned interruption.
Temporary service disruptions will also occur when each property owner’s water service is switched over to the temporary system (if applicable), and then again when switched to the new system. These distributions typically last for 30 minutes or less, and only affect one house at a time; not the entire street
Most County projects do not include watermain replacement as this piece of infrastructure is administered by the local municipality.
The County and the Contractor will make every effort to maintain garbage and Blue Box collection operations during the construction. The Contractor will assist in collecting and transporting garbage and recycling if your pick-up point is blocked by construction. We recommend that you clearly label your containers with your name and address, so the contractor can return the bins to their correct homes.
Yes, however there will be minor delays from time to time during construction for underground service installations and concrete curing. Driveway access will be maintained to the extent possible. When concrete curbs and sidewalks are being installed on the project, the homeowner/resident will not have access to their driveway for a period of up to a week for both curb and sidewalk installation. Residents and business owners will receive a door hangar with a minimum of 24 hours notice of scheduled curb and sidewalk installation. When driveway access is obstructed, the property owner can park on any surrounding street that permits parking. Residents may also park on the construction site outside of working hours. Working hours generally run from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm.
Your driveway and any walkways will be replaced with the same material that was there before, with one exception:
If you have a stamped/coloured concrete driveway, that cannot be easily matched, the contractor will replace the portion that was removed with regular concrete. However, if the homeowner does not want regular concrete, a credit can be given instead for the contract price to install regular concrete. The homeowner can then use this credit to hire their own private contractor to install stamped/coloured concrete.
Topsoil and sod will be used to restore boulevards and other grassed areas affected by the construction operation. To ensure sodded areas have established a strong and healthy root system, the County’s contract requires the Contractor to water and maintain the newly placed sod for 60 days following placement. During this 60 day maintenance period, the County is asking property owners to participate in the watering process to encourage growth. At the end of the 60 day period, all turf maintenance and watering of sod reverts back to the individual property owner as it was prior to construction. Residents will be delivered a door hangar outlining when the sod was placed, how long the contractor will water it for, and some additional information to give your lawn the best chance to thrive.
If your phone or internet service cuts out at any point during construction, notify your service provider, the County Project Manager, and the contractor. The contractor will also notify the service provider, who will come out and make a repair. Contact information for the appropriate County representative is listed on the construction advisory notice.
Paving operations will result in temporary driveway access restriction. When asphalt is being laid, if you require use of your vehicle, remove it from the driveway by 7:00 am. The typical length of driveway restriction is one working day per placement. Residents and business owners will receive a door hangar with a minimum of 24 hours advance notice of scheduled paving.
A boulevard is the grass are between the back of the concrete curb and the sidewalk. The main purpose of these is to improve the safety of pedestrians using the sidewalk. The extra distance between the road and the sidewalk keeps pedestrians safe by keeping them further away from hazards, and also acts as an area for snow storage during the winter months.
Typical hours and days of construction will be Monday through Friday, 7:00 am to 7:00 pm. However, some underground utility work and primary intersection work may occur after hours and at night. Weekend work may be required pending weather restraints and to maintain schedule.
All County road reconstruction projects contain up to a two-year warranty from the time of substantial completion. After construction concludes on a project, a walkthrough of the site will take place by the County’s Project Manager. Any deficiencies will be recorded and submitted to the contractor for repair. A second walkthrough will take place the following year(s), just before the warranty period ends. Again, any deficient work will be recorded for the contractor to correct. Any deficiencies identified by the homeowner after the one-year warranty period has lapsed will not be at the contractor’s responsibility to rectify. If the homeowner identifies a deficiency within one year of construction, please contact the contract administrator.
During construction, Bell and Rogers service wires are not located, so there may be instances when the cables are cut by construction equipment. When the service technician repairs the wire, it will be left on top of the grass so that it does not get severed during the remainder of construction. Once heavy machine work is complete, the service technician will come back out and re-bury the wires.
During construction, the Canada Post mailboxes on your street may need to be temporarily moved out of the construction zone. If this is the case, you will be notified by Canada Post and will receive a temporary key. For the duration of the project, residents will be able to pickup their mail from these new temporary locations, until the mailboxes are reinstalled in their permanent location after construction concludes. Residents will receive additional notification from Canada Post with instructions, and a schedule to return to normal mail delivery.
Before construction begins on your street, all residents will be delivered a construction advisory notice containing project details, safety information, and contact information. Every County construction project has a project manager and/or site inspector; any project related questions or concerns can be directed to either County representative.
Capital Project refers to a County of Elgin project that replaces or repairs County owned infrastructure, such as roads, culverts, bridges and storm sewers. As part of the planning and design stages, the County will consult with the local municipality to strategically align local infrastructure works with the County’s. This collaborative effort ensures minimal disruption and potential cost savings by addressing all infrastructure concerns at once for the project area.
Generally, the County’s work is road and storm sewer focused, usually consisting of rehabilitation or reconstruction activities. Every project has a County of Elgin Project Manager that can be contacted to discuss the project.
This is where the surface asphalt of the road is taken off and replaced with new material. There are very little to no changes to the services in the road (e.g. water mains, sanitary, storm sewers, etc.).
This is where the entire road including the base asphalt and the subsurface granular is taken out and replaced. With reconstructions also may come changes and/or updates to the road services depending on the services conditions.
The typical wait time is one working day for asphalt placement.
For concrete to cure and support the weight of a car, three days are needed, this is to ensure no cracking or damage occurs to the curb.
This depends on the project, but any major construction may affect the schools bus route. The County will work collaboratively with the bus company and any changes to the route will be made by the bus company. The bus company will notify the affected residents/riders of the changes and provide instructions as needed. If you need more help please contact the Project Manager.
Contact Info
Hours of Operation:
Monday – Friday
8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
County of Elgin Administration Building
Engineering Services
450 Sunset Drive, 1st Floor
St. Thomas, ON N5R 5V1
Phone: 519-631-1460 ext. 189