Northern highway between Timmins and Iroquois Falls may turn to gravel

Officials in the City of Timmins say the state of Municipal Road, which connects Timmins and Iroquois Falls, is well beyond the patch-up phase.

In fact, officials say they may have to turn it into gravel just to maintain safety.

Mayor Michelle Boileau had a chance to see Prabmeet Sarkaria, Ontario's Minister of Transportation, at a recent Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference in Ottawa.

Timmins is trying to convince the province that paying to repair and maintain the connecting road should be a provincial responsibility and that the two communities don't have the money to repair it.

"Mayor Boileau left (Sarkaria) with a map of the region showing all of the MTO highways and pointing out that this is really the only connector between 101 and 11 that, you know, that that's somehow not theirs," said Timmins CAO Dave Landers.

And at a recent Timmins council meeting, officials said it has been a challenge to get anywhere on the issue and as the road crumbles, time is running out.

Municipal Road is about a 22-kilometre stretch of highway that connects Timmins and Iroquois Falls. Timmins council needs government funding to repair and maintain it. (Lydia Chubak/CTV News Northern Ontario)

Ken Krcel, the city's director of public works, said the road is past the point of maintaining it safely for the public. He said the road’s shoulders are falling apart and his staff is begging him for an answer on how to maintain it.

"My opinion is that we're at risk now so I would rather it be pulverized tomorrow and maintain it as gravel than trying to maintain it," Krcel said.

"At least we have graders and we have staff that can grade the road, but I don't have enough people to keep patching it."

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Timmins is responsible for about 10 kilometres of Municipal Road and Iroquois Falls takes care of about 12 kilometres.

"Like it's multiple times their municipal budget so this isn't something that they can that they can carry," Landers said.

"And for us, I mean, if we've got to invest, you know, $10 million and counting into a road like this, then it's going to be some big decisions about what happens elsewhere within the municipality."

Boileau said the MTO is conducting a study on the highway’s usage. In the meantime, council has requested a verbal update on Municipal Road at the next council meeting.