Range Road 260 from Highway 37 to Township Road 544

The core scope of the work is done, with one remaining deficiency which is being addressed.

Range Road 260 between Highway 37 and Township Road 544 is a gravel road that provides access to 11 homes and the ProNorth Industrial Park.

The County approved plans in 2021 for the 3.4-kilometre stretch of road to be reconstructed, widened and realigned. To widen the road and prepare it for future paving, the County needed to acquire five metres of land on either side of the road from property owners.

In response to public feedback and after reevaluating the project, Sturgeon County is not moving forward with land acquisition or road realignment. Instead, it will do the following:

• rehabilitate the gravel road, which could include brushing, drainage improvements, etc.
• minimize traffic impacts during road rehabilitation
• commit to ongoing gravel road maintenance
• communicate with area residents as it proceeds with work and reaches milestone

What We Heard and Why We Changed

Resident Concerns

Residents shared the following concerns relating to the initial proposed project:

• Increased traffic and noise along Range Road 260.
• Loss of shelterbelts.
• Need to replace a brick fence.
• Lack of communication from the County.
• Potential monetary impacts (decreased value of land, tax impacts, compensation for land, etc.)

Regional Considerations

Since the project was planned in 2021, a few things have changed in the region that support the updated approach:

• Township Road 544 has been upgraded to a full pavement structure and serves industrial traffic from ProNorth Industrial Park.
• ProNorth Industrial Park development plans identify Township Road 544 as the preferred
  corridor instead of Range Road 260.
• Future extension of Ray Gibbon Drive to run between Range Road 260 and 255, and connect to Highway 37. No timeline is available for this extension.
• The Transportation Master Plan identifies Range Road 261 as preferred route for industrial traffic accessing the ProNorth Industrial Park. This is a long-term document, and it’s expected that future upgrades will be needed to Range Road 261 to accommodate this.

This project involves realigning two 90-degree turns in the gravel road.

Project Scope

• Realigning and upgrading 3.4 kilometres of gravel road to paved.
• There are 11 residences and 14 approaches in the project area.
• Widening of the road which requires land acquisition.
• Drainage improvements along this section of Range Road 260.