The Municipality of Chatham-Kent has outlined its proposed gravel roads conversion budget.
It listed several gravel roads to be converted to hard surface roads beginning next year.
A vote on the report will be held at Chatham-Kent council on Monday night.
The municipality noted that $6.5 million has already been approved to convert 7.3 km of gravel roads, which is currently underway. However, CK's administration is recommending that approximately $33 million to accelerate other roads be referred to the 2026 Operating and Capital Budget update and future multi-year Operating and Capital Budget processes.
"Accelerating the program delivers long-term financial and operational benefits by avoiding escalating annual construction costs and delivering an improved level of service sooner by completing the program over 3-4 years instead of 15 years. When factoring in construction inflation, completing the proposed program over 15 years would cost approximately $43.2 million compared to $33 million as presented for 2026-2029," a report by the CK's administration read.
Click here for a full list of roads to be paved.
"Based on the current condition, roads selected for conversion may require upgrades to meet current standards, including enhancements to the granular base, road geometry, drainage infrastructure and other roadside safety improvements," the report stated. "These improvements are critical to ensuring the long-term durability, safety and performance of the roads being converted.
If the proposed program acceleration is approved, CK's administration said geotechnical investigations and roadside safety reviews of the roads would start in late 2025, while detailed design would be initiated in 2026, and the first set of roads would be planned for construction in 2027.
Staff is also proposing an expanded long-term list beyond the proposed acceleration for future consideration, with an estimated price tag of $105 million.