A section of Grey County Road 40 will be closed during the next few weeks to allow the emergency replacement of two damaged culverts.
At its meeting on May 14, Grey County council received a report from county staff outlining an emergency road situation on Grey County Road 40 near the borders of the Town of The Blue Mountains, Municipality of Grey Highlands and Municipality of Meaford.
Due to a significant summer 2025 rainfall event and a heavy 2025-26 winter, two culverts on the road have serious damage and need immediate replacement. County staff said without quick action that section of the road was in danger of failing. County Road 40 is a key east/west traffic corridor that moves traffic from Highway 26 in The Blue Mountains across to Highway 6 near Chatsworth.
Trevor Ireton, the county’s engineering manager, said the culverts were in good shape last summer until the end of June.
“Everything changed on June 30, 2025,” he said.
Ireton referred to a “massive volume of water” that came with a 130-year storm event. In the fall, county staff inspecting the culverts discovered the damage and planned for a full replacement of the culverts in 2026. However, this plan was compromised by the significant snowfalls experienced during the winter of 2025/26. Ireton said the “heavy snow loads” accelerated the erosion of the slopes above the culverts.
“The structural stability of the surrounding bank was compromised significantly,” he said.
The culverts are located on a large hill on Grey Road 40 where the road scales the Niagara Escarpment and are 10 metres and six metres beneath the road surface.
The culverts are approximately 800 metres apart and there are multiple residences located between the two structures. To ensure that local residents have access to their properties, the culverts will have to be replaced one at a time. County staff activated the emergency procurement process to contact contractors interested in doing the work immediately. Three contractors replied and Roubos Farm Services will do the work for a total estimated cost of $785,157.36. This includes HST and a 10 per cent contingency. The metal culverts will be replaced with concrete structures.
The project will be funded through any surplus in the 2026 capital program or through a capital reserve fund. Construction is expected to begin on May 25 with the project taking an estimated three to five weeks.
Members of county council accepted the report with few comments and encouraged county staff to communicate the road closure to local residents, the travelling public and the cycling community as County Road 40 is a key cycling route.
Grey Highlands Mayor Paul McQueen said he was pleased to see the work getting done immediately.
“That timeframe works the best to get it done before the heavy traffic of the summer,” he said.
By Chris Fell, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Original Published on May 15, 2026 at 11:00
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