Roads

Come in we're open sign

The Township maintains about 400 km of roads within its boundaries. About 250 km of the roads have a hard surface such as asphalt, tar and chip, or slurry seal. Approximately 350 km of roads are maintained in the winter.

By-Law 2021-065, being a by-law to adopt Municipal Road Construction Minimum Standard Policy OPS-2021-01 provides minimum construction standards for all municipal roads, including seasonal roads, within the Township.

All Township documents can be made available in an accessible format upon request.

County Roads and Provincial Highways

County Roads 1, 3, 5, 16, 17, 17A, 17B, 18 and 170 also provide access throughout the Township.

For Grey County winter road conditions you can call 1-866-266-7569 or go to their Road Conditions website.

Highway 6 and 10 accesses the southeast portion of Georgian Bluffs through to Owen Sound, with Highway 6 continuing west and north through the Village of Shallow Lake to Wiarton.

Highway 21 runs from the Sunset Strip through Springmount westerly to Southampton and Port Elgin.

Road Conditions

Construction, detours and road closures can be found at https://www.municipal511.ca/.

Adopt-a-Road

If you're interested in adopting a road, please contact the office.

Civic Addressing

The property addressing system provides a method of property identification. To request an assignment of a new civic address in the Township of Georgian Bluffs, please complete the form below. Please contact the municipal office for the current fee.

Click here to submit a Civic 911 Address Request Form.

Entrance Permits

A driveway or an entrance is an access right that is given to the landowner by the authority in charge of the particular road. The Ministry of Transportation gives permits for driveways on Provincial Highways and the County of Grey grants permits for driveways on County Roads. Entrances onto Township roads must therefore be approved by the Township of Georgian Bluffs. Permits taken out with the Township are valid for a three year period and work must begin within one year of issuance. All entrances require a final inspection. After this time, if a refund is due, it will be returned to the party who paid the original invoice.

Entrance permits are required for:

New construction;
Changing design or location;
Change in use (ie from agricultural to residential);
Temporary access;
Paving or off-road parking area.

There are many conditions and standards which affect different areas. Please see the below Entrance Permit Package which outlines these guidelines.

Click here to fill out and submit an Entrance Permit Package.

Roadside Brushing

The Municipality has a responsibility to maintain its publicly traveled roadways and roadside allowances in a safe condition to provide all potential users and that the Private, Township, County and Provincial roadway intersections are adequately cleared of obstructions and fouling so as to provide improved:

Site Lines

Overhead Clearances for Larger Vehicles

Roadside Clearances for Road Maintenance Equipment

Snow Storage Areas

Winter Driving Surfaces

The intent of the Township's brushing program is to clear cut the Township road allowances of all brush, shrubs, small trees, large trees and overhanging tree canopy that address any or all of the above noted improvements.

Staff acknowledges the sensitive nature of the public in regards to some brush removal methods (mechanical brusher-cutter), and the need to inform local property owners abutting the brushing works via the website annually.

The Township maintenance program is set annually through the Operations Committee.

Roadside Ditch Maintenance

Roadside ditches perform four necessary functions:

Drain water from the road base and sub grade
Carry collected water to an appropriate outlet
Stop uncollected water coming from outside the road allowance from getting on the road
Assist in snow clearing operations by providing snow storage below the elevation of the road

The Township maintains vegetation on the road shoulder towards the ditch for rural areas, but does not cut vegetation in the ditch. The control of vegetation in the ditch, such as cattails, is the responsibility of the homeowner, especially for ensuring clear sight lines when entering or exiting the property. Township staff may dig out vegetation as part of the scheduled roadside ditching program, or due to drainage issues.

Snow Plowing Operations

Snow plow operations are governed by the Township's Winter Control Maintenance Standards Plan and Polices. It is Township practice to have all municipal roads plowed at least once every 24 hours if conditions warrant. Lengthy service delays can occur in freezing rain conditions.

View the Ministry of Transportation's Road Closures for Southwestern Ontario

Patrolling

The Township completes a minimum of two patrols of the Township every day. By following the Snow Patrol Route Map, our patrollers are able to assess the conditions of Township roads to determine which plow routes and equipment should be dispatched.

Plow Routes

The Township is broken into eight standard plow routes, so all roads in the Township can be cleared in about twelve hours if all plows are in operation.

The number of plows on duty depends on staff and equipment availability and road conditions. If less than eight plows are available, the standard routes are adjusted accordingly.

Plowing Schedule

Depending upon weather conditions, plowing operations begin at 3:00 AM. Usually, all routes are completed prior to 10 AM. Weather depending, a second plow pass may be completed in the afternoon, limited to specified roads only. This second pass may cover all roads under exceptional conditions.

Depositing Snow on the Roadway

As per the Ontario Highway Traffic Act R.S.O. 1990 c. H.8 s.181 "No person shall deposit snow or ice on a roadway without permission in writing to do so from the Ministry of Transportation or the road authority responsible for the maintenance of the road"

Parking on the Road

During the snowplow season from November 15 to April 15 of each year, no vehicle shall be allowed to obstruct the snow clearing operations. As per the Ontario Highway Traffic Act R.S.O. 1990, Section 170 "Vehicles obstructing proper maintenance of the roadway may be towed at the owner's expense."