By: Pam Wright, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Chatham Voice
The realignment of a portion of Talbot Trail that is threatened by erosion continues to move forward.
At is final meeting in December, Chatham-Kent council approved the purchase of four properties along the Lake Erie roadway as well as funds for a Stage 4 archaeological assessment.
This includes $235,000 to buy 1.6 acres at 2961 Talbot Trail; 2.52 acres at 3021 Talbot Trail; 0.02 acres at 2953 Talbot Trail and .08 acres at 3089 Talbot Trail. That’s on top of the $621,500 for the assessment and close to $300,000 to fund First Nation participation.
West Kent councillors Melissa Harrigan and Lauren Anderson said they appreciated the update provided by the engineering department to council, noting progress is being made.
However, council learned the cost for the archeological assessment, estimated to be around $2 million, will be borne by the municipality.
“I’m happy to see this move forward,” Anderson said. “I’m happy to approve the recommendations. I just want to state the fact this is costing an additional $2 million that we will not recover back.”
In the summer of 2019, Chatham-Kent voted to close a portion of Talbot Trail from Coatsworth Road to approximately 800 metres east of Coatsworth Road due to the risk of slope and road failure because of the unstable bluff. The municipality commissioned an environmental assessment study which was undertaken in 2020 to find a solution to the unstable roadway. The study came up with a plan to build a two-lane arterial road from Ellerbeck Road to Stevenson Road following 2nd Concession Line. However, the project was jettisoned in 2023 for a less expensive plan to move the road slightly inland following input from citizens living along Talbot Trail.
Council also heard the mandatory Stage 4 archeological assessment had to be paused because of winter weather. Engineering director Marissa Mascaro Amyotte said, “some warm pockets of weather are needed to make notable progress.
“It’s strongly suspected that some of the work may not be completed until the spring,” Mascaro Amyotte told council.
Archeological items recovered at the site are processed under the Ontario Heritage Act, the director said, noting photos of artifacts may be available to council following the project’s completion
Under Ontario law, the archeological examination and report must be completed before final construction can proceed.
