CAMBRIDGE – MPP Rob Leone is taking the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) to task for what he calls “increasingly perilous” road conditions on Highway 401, between Cambridge and Woodstock.
In a letter addressed to Liberal Transportation Minister Glen Murray last week, Leone cites highway closures and “numerous crashes” - two of them fatal - along the stretch of highway during the past several months.
“According to Ministry of Transportation statistics taken between 2008 and 2012, the 401 between Milton and Cambridge has been one of the safest areas in Ontario for highway travel,” the letter states. “However, from Cambridge on towards Woodstock, this connecting highway’s safety record has been dubious at best.”
Leone wants to know why different portions of highway appear to be held to different safety standards. He acknowledges that severe weather conditions have posed difficulties this winter, but contends contracted services for snow removal and proper road de-icing are putting citizens at unnecessary risk.
“This has been a simmering provincial issue,” he told the Times, alluding to other MPPs who’ve voiced similar concerns, including those representing areas of northern Ontario and other sections of the 401.
“We’ve heard from all parts of the province that winter road maintenance has become an issue. There’s a lot of people, our constituents, saying that it’s just not up to standard – that these private contractors who were awarded winter road maintenance simply aren’t living up to their contracts.”
Local businesses and even Leone himself, a resident of Ayr, have been impacted by closures and delays.
The local MPP said Hwy. 401 between Cedar Creek Road and Drumbo Road has been closed frequently this season and some people have reported better conditions on back roads.
Leone maintains that the stretch of Highway 401 between Cambridge and Woodstock is not only an important transit route for citizens of Southwestern Ontario, but is intrinsic to the daily commute of workers and commercial vehicles.
Private sector service providers are selected through requests for proposals and Leone wants to know if standards of service are being upheld, or if they’ve changed.
In a prepared statement, MTO communication coordinator Liane Fisher assured the Times Ontario has “some of the highest road maintenance standards” in North America.
Fisher says service providers are required to monitor road and weather conditions and deploy appropriate equipment in the event of a winter storm. She said the MTO continually reviews winter maintenance operations and contractors to make sure standards are met.
This includes monitoring contractor performance before, during and after a storm, including reviews of contractors’ records and GPS-based systems, and conducting in-field audits to inspect the condition of the highway and the results the contractor delivers.
“When a review finds that a contractor has not met the standards, we obtain additional information to determine if there were circumstances beyond the contractor’s control.”
Periodically, the ministry conducts detailed reviews of maintenance contractors’ winter operations, including on Highway 401 from Woodstock to Milton.
“Based on these reviews, we have determined that the contractor has generally worked in accordance with contract requirements so far this winter,” Fisher said.
“Where the contractor fails to meet contract requirements, non-conformances and financial consequences are administered according to the contract documents. We do not release specific information on non-conformances or the specific amount of financial consequences imposed on contractors, as this is a contractual matter between the ministry and the contractor.”
The area between Woodstock and Cambridge is particularly susceptible to heavy snow squalls as a result of weather streams coming off Lake Huron, Fisher added.
“So far this winter we have received higher than normal amounts of snow fall, along with colder than average temperatures. These two things combined have added to the challenge of maintaining the highways.”
Fisher encourages drivers to prepare for winter conditions by checking weather forecasts and checking road conditions at www.ontario.ca/511.
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