Public Works Department

 It is the responsibility of the Public Works Department to maintain and improve the Township's 284 kms of roads for the benefit of the travelling public. Public Works’ day-to-day operations are extensive and, depending on the season, include plowing, grading, patching, ditching, brushing, sweeping, maintenance of storm sewers, catch basins, and culverts, pavement markings, road signs, guide rails, roadside mowing, bridge and culvert maintenance.   

A 5-year capital plan for road construction is reviewed by Council during their Annual Road Tour. Decisions regarding the updating of the plan are based on the Road Needs Study, road conditions, traffic volume, and budget allocations.

Winter Control

Winter Maintenance

The Township of Hamilton provides winter operations, sanding, and plowing on our roads. Township patrols, plows, and spread de-icers on our roads based on the legal responsibility outlined in the Ministry of Transportation Minimum Maintenance Standards and Highway Traffic Act. Highway Traffic Act dictates that parked vehicles cannot impede snow removal operations and how snow should not be placed on roads from private properties.

Winter Tips

• Change your decorative mailbox in the winter. This will ensure that the snow being plowed doesn’t damage your decorative mailbox.
• Put garbage in your driveway and not on the road allowance on garbage collection days.
• Pile snow on the right side of your driveway. This is the down-side of the plow so it will help to reduce snow build-up in your driveway.
• Do not push or deposit snow from your driveway onto the road.
• Please don’t park on the road – put your vehicle in your driveway.
• Replace your mailbox post when it’s necessary. Old posts become rotten and can be pushed over with the weight of snow being plowed.
• Please slow down! Drive to the weather and road conditions.
• Don’t follow too closely to snow plows – especially on hills.
• Where possible, let the salt work on the roads before driving.
• If you live on a corner property and the driveway is close to the corner there is a good chance that the snow build-up in your laneway will be more than your neighbours. This is caused by the turning operations of the snow plows.

Night Patrol
from November 15 to April 15, of each year, an employee patrols the Township roads from Monday to Friday - 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.

Winter Parking (from the parking bylaw Nov to Apr.)

            By-law 2006-46 Part 111 (9)  

 Roads & Operations

Catch basins

Usually located along the edge of the roadway or ditch, storm water is directed through the steel grate covering the catch basin structure. Please do not dump waste into these drains. The storm water is then conveyed from the catch basin through to a sewer system which outlets into our lakes, streams or rivers. The heavier suspended particles are collected in the bottom of the catch basin, stopping them from travelling into the water supply. Catch basins are vacuum cleaned every year.

Culverts

All culverts within the Township’s right-of-way are maintained by the Township. If you require an additional entrance or a new entrance, or if you require maintenance to your entrance culvert (i.e., it is plugged with debris, heaved up/caved in, frozen causing flooding), contact Public Works at info@hamiltontownship.caor call (905) 342-2810 x 105.
If you are having your driveway repaved, consider having a representative from Public Works check the condition of the culvert beforehand. Note any end treatments of the culverts are not the responsibility of the Township and it is the property owner’s responsibility to remove and replace if require by the Township.
If you are building a new home, your building permit cannot be issued until the Building Department receives confirmation that you have applied for an entrance culvert from Public Works (you must apply in person at Township office, 8285 Majestic Hills Drive). We may suggest delaying the installation of the culvert until after the heavy equipment is finished at your building site. A heavy truck could crush the entrance culvert, requiring you to pay to have another one installed. Once you have applied for the entrance culvert, a representative from the Public Works Department will check the location to see if a culvert is required and if the sight lines are sufficient for safe entry onto the roadway.

 Ditches

Roadside ditches perform four primary functions:
● they serve to drain water from the road base and sub grade; they are not intended to drain adjacent properties (but in many cases, they may).
● they carry collected water to a sufficient outlet.
● they stop the uncollected sheet of surface water coming from outside the road allowance from getting on the road.
● they assist in winter snow clearing operations by providing snow storage below the elevation of the road surface.
Roadside ditches are not a public utility; property owners do not have absolute right to outlet to roadside ditches. The Township reserves the right to remove or restrict any outlets to ditches that cause operational issues or damage to the drainage system. If you need to direct water to the Township’s ditches, it is recommended that you contact the Township’s Public Works Department before proceeding.
 

ENTRANCE PERMIT FEE SCHEDULE

Entrance applications may be obtained at the Township Office.

Fees
$1,000.00 Entrance/Road Deposit
$65.00 Inspection Fee
$8.45 HST on Inspection Fee
$12.00 Permit Fee

Entrance/Road Deposit will not be released unless the Final Building Inspection is approved.

Paved Driveways

If a property owner chooses to pave their driveway, the Township will not be responsible for replacing pavement in the event that a repair or replacement of the culvert is required due to frost heaving or as a result of construction.

Half Load Restrictions

During the spring thaw, most Township roads become too soft to withstand the weight of a fully loaded truck, no matter how many axles. In an effort to reduce damage to the roads during spring thaw, the Township has weight restrictions to half loads (5 tonnes per axle) on all roads in the Township from March 1^st to April 30^th. Please assist us in reducing repairs to our road system by not having heavy deliveries to your property during this time of year.

Mailboxes

Mailboxes are the responsibility of the property owner, not the Township of Hamilton. The Township does not clear the snow around mailboxes, nor guarantee any service levels for rural mail delivery. It is the property owner’s responsibility to ensure they meet with Canada Post requirements for rural delivery. Standard mailboxes are replaced if damaged by Township equipment, however, the Township does not accept responsibility for damages caused by the impact of snow on a mailbox during our regular snow plow operations. Mailboxes should be constructed to withstand the impact of snow from snow plow operations.

Rural Roadside Mowing

The Township of Hamilton maintains over 200 km of rural roads. The Public Works Department endeavours to maintain the roadside in a reasonably kept state, as well as respecting the environment. The Township of Hamilton is a pesticide free municipality therefore we do not spray pesticides on our roadsides. Instead, the Township opts to mow the rural roadsides and intersections. The standard is a 6 ft swath cut along the rural road edge once a year.

Stop Signs

The Township endeavours to use stop signs only where good, engineering practices and approved warrants substantiate their use. The Township’s policy for the use of all-way stop controls is as follows:
● Where sight lines at the intersections are deficient
● At locations where high accident frequencies occur
● Where controlling traffic at an intersection is needed
● The distance to the next nearest stop or traffic signal must be greater than 200 m
● Intersecting roads should be of similar volume demand and operating characteristics for the use of all-way stop control devices.

Storm Water Management Ponds

Storm water management ponds are an ecological treatment system to manage the quantity and sometimes quality of the storm water runoff in developed communities. They are not designed nor meant for recreational purposes such as swimming or skating.

PLEASE TELL YOUR CHILDREN THAT THESE PONDS ARE UNSAFE FOR SKATING AND SWIMMING.

In the winter, the quality and thickness of the ice can change rapidly due to unpredictable water flows into the ponds.

In the summer, swimming is dangerous because these ponds are not supervised or checked for water quality and the levels in the ponds can change quickly. Trails may have been constructed around some ponds for passive uses such as hiking or walking pleasure. Because these ponds are an ecological device, please respect the environment such as the flora and fauna, and pick up after your pets.

Please remember that what you pour down the storm sewer system goes to our lakes, rivers and streams. Please do not dispose of any waste materials into the storm sewers, catch basins or ditches. Contrary to belief, storm water management ponds are not a conducive breeding environment for mosquitoes known to carry the West Nile Virus.

Street Lights

The Town ship of Hamilton has over 400 street lights that are intended to illuminate streets, paths, parks and parking lots. There is no legislative requirement to illuminate any Town asset, but the Town does have a standard for development to illuminate assets for public safety reasons. Not all Town assets meet current standards, and many areas are illuminated to just the standard of the day. When reporting that streetlights have burn out, please provide the identification number that is located on the pole, (i.e.: starts with "S").

Street Sweeping

During the winter, the Township uses a mixture of salt for de-icing snow and ice, and uses sand for abrasives to add traction to the road surface. As a result, there is residual sand on the road surface during the spring that is mechanically swept and vacuumed starting in late April. The sweeping cannot begin until all winter operations are completed. It takes approximately three weeks to complete sweeping of the paved streets within the hamlets and subdivisions once per year.

Road and Other Signs

In the event that a road sign has been damaged or removed, please contact the Municipal office.

Speed Limits
 

Requests for a decrease of speed limit for any road under Township jurisdiction must be in writing to Council for their consideration.

Roadside Trees

In the event that any trees have fallen or may cause a hazard, please contact the Municipal office for removal.

Road Status Requests

The fee for requests on the status of roads (e.g. maintained/private/summer maintained) is $10.00.

Adopt-A-Road Program

An "Adopt-a-Road" program has been established in the Township to enable environmentally-conscious citizens, community and civic organizations, private businesses, and industry to contribute to a cleaner and more beautiful community by volunteering to pick-up litter along Township rights-of-way. Please contact Hamilton Township Roads Department to register.

Noxious Weeds

The County Weed Inspector is the contact  for complaints regarding noxious weeds. Please phone 905-372-0141.

Township Road Map

The Township of Hamilton consists of over 350 km of roads – approximately 284 km of those roads are under the jurisdiction of the Township. The remaining roads fall under the jurisdiction of the County of Northumberland or the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO).

County of Northumberland Roads within the Township

• Dale Road - County Road #74

• Burnham Road - County Road # 18

• Harwood Road -  County Road #15

• Rice Lake Scenic Drive - County Road #18

• County Road #2

• Oak Ridge’s Drive -  County Road # 9

• County Road # 28

• County Road # 45

Ministry of Transportation MTO Roads within the Township

• Highway 401

NOTICES

Sackville Bridge Environmental Assessment

Notice of Public Information Centre -Special Council Meeting, December 3, 2012 @ 7:30 pm- Council Chambers

Details attached.

Links

Application for Road Use- Special Events

Township Map

2012 Capital Works- Roads Department

CONTACTS

Doug Thompson, Acting Director, Public Works- dthompson@hamiltontownship.ca

Don Hamly, Public Works Foreman - dhamly@hamiltontownship.ca

Eric Whent, Accounts Payable/ Roads Clerk - ewhent@hamiltontownship.ca