By Lee Griffi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Construction to improve road safety at Punkeydoodles Corners begins the week of July 29, acting on recommendations from a joint intersection control feasibility study.
Oxford County, Perth County, the Township of Wilmot and Region of Waterloo tackled the study together last fall.
During construction, Road 101A and Perth Road 101 (Oxford Road 24) east of Line 33 to Concession Road will be closed to all through traffic with access limited to local residents, businesses and emergency services only.
Construction is expected to finish in November 2024, though timing is subject to weather and other factors. The million-dollar project will end in some major changes to the intersections that are designed to improve safety.
“It does involve a permanent closure of the intersection where Punkeydoodles Avenue extends to Oxford Road 24 as well as where Township Road 11 meets Regional Road 1. The intersection where 101 A meets; that will be realigned,” said Frank Gross, Oxford County’s manager of transportation and waste management. “We will be moving that road to the south and adding a left turn lane for traffic coming to the north for traffic turning onto 101 A and a right turn lane for vehicles heading eastbound and north.”
The project will also add street lighting in the area for improved visibility. Barriers with reflectors will be put on the closed roads and temporary signage will be in use so drivers won’t be caught off guard. Some of the asphalt on Township Road 11 will also be removed.
Gross said the area will be closed off to almost all traffic throughout the construction period.
“There will be a full closure during construction, but obviously we will maintain access for people who live in the immediate area. But through traffic will have to use a detour route or consider an alternate route altogether to avoid the area.”
Two detours have been assigned and while Gross said it may not be convenient for travellers, they were the best options.
“We tried to keep them on main roads. The east detour is Bender Road to Regional Road 3 or Walker Road and then up to Highway 7 and 8. The west detour is 7 and 8 all the way over to Perth Road 107 which turns into 59 coming into Tavistock from the north.”
Some residents in the area of the 16th Line have expressed concerns about increased traffic there, particularly in the Maplewood and Cassel areas where there have been rising numbers of collisions recently.
“Some who know the area may use that as an alternate route but I don’t know if they will see a lot of increase in traffic,” said Gross. “We were paving between Tavistock and Punkeydoodles and I do think some traffic was using Maplewood Sideroad to avoid that.”
Oxford County has not been hearing from area residents as of late, but Gross wants to assure everyone living in the area the channels of communication are always open.
“Hopefully everything is smooth during construction, but we are available if they have any issues needing to be addressed.”
Recommendations from the intersection study followed extensive feedback from the community about safety concerns.
The Punkeydoodles Corners area is made up of four intersections that are shared among four municipalities. In June, Oxford County Council awarded a $1.08 million construction contract to Corners Capital Paving Inc. from Guelph. The Punkeydoodles Corners Intersection Control Feasibility Study released in October 2023 considered community input and existing traffic data such as traffic volumes, traffic patterns, collision history, operating speeds and sightlines. It projected future traffic conditions over the next 20 years.
For more information, visit www.speakup.oxfordcounty.ca/punkeydoodles.
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