Detours, delays and repairs
County plans to spend $6.4 million in 2026 fixing roads, bridges in Trent Hills
Northumberland County plans to spend $6.4 million repairing roads and bridges in Trent Hills next year, according to a report to council on Wednesday.
That’s in addition to the $2.9 million it plans to spend on preliminary work for a new bridge in Campbellford and the $10.8 million it has budgeted towards construction of the new bridge. But as I wrote earlier, construction of the new bridge has not been approved and likely won’t be unless or until the provincial and federal governments provide the largest chunk of the $56-million cost.
Next year the county will spend $500,000 to repair the County Road 30 bridge over the Trent in the hamlet of Trent River. This work will involve a lengthy detour around the site. The bridge project was planned for 2025 but was delayed for a year and temporary repairs were made.
In addition, it will spend $2.4 million to repave and widen six kilometres of the road south from the 11th line West to County Road 35. It will add 1.5-metre paved shoulders and replace aging culverts.
In Hastings, the county will repair County Road 2A from the western limit of the village to Bridge Street North. The $1.5 million-project will repair about half a kilometre of road. The county report said the section has become potholed and needed repeated work and storm sewer cleaning. “Delaying this project could result in a storm sewer failure causing sink holes and sewer backups that could cause flooding. This could lead to a road closure and/or lane restrictions and the need for emergency repairs.”
In 2025 a survey found the stretch of road rated 50 on the Pavement Condition Index. A rating less than 55 is considered to be poor, the county says.
On County Road 25 it will spend $1.1 million to replace the Killoran Creek concrete box culvert. This will involve a road closure and detour. The county report says the “culvert could fail and cause a large sinkhole or road failure. This could lead to a road closure and/or lane restrictions and the need for emergency repairs.”
A study done in 2024 recommended the culvert be replaced within one to five years.
Similarly, the county will spend $600,000 to replace an existing corrugated steel culvert for Salt Creek under County Road 30. That also will involve a road closure and detour route.
County tax levy to increase 3.7 per cent
Northumberland County council has given draft approval to a 2026 budget that will increase the tax on a median property by $61.43, a 3.77 per cent hike.
Council approved the capital spending plan, which was the last phase of the budget it had not completed, during its meeting on Wednesday.
“The approved draft budget proposes a base levy of $82.8 million,” a county news release says. “This 3.77 per cent base levy increase after growth will amount to an estimated $61.43 increase in the county portion of property taxes for a median assessed homeowner in Northumberland.”
Holding the increase to this level involved making cuts in many areas because the need to start repaying a loan for reconstruction of the Golden Plough Lodge amounted to a 4.5 per cent spending increase. Other areas had to be cut to get the increase down to 3.77 per cent.
“Residents across Northumberland are feeling the pressure of rising costs, and Council is mindful of these realities,” says Warden Brian Ostrander. “This year’s budget is about managing short-term pressures responsibly - holding the line on spending, preserving core services, and minimizing the tax levy increase.
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