The County of Essex is looking to get ahead of the game when it comes to road work in 2021.
County council has agreed to pre-commit $6.7-million for roads and $2.8-million for paved shoulder cycling infrastructure in its 2021 budget.
Director of Infrastructure Services Jane Mustac, says they took the same approach in 2020 with the early release program and it resulted in more work getting done at a lower cost.
She says crews were able to work more efficiently due to the pandemic as well.
"This year's construction season had some opportunity with the early release program as some projects were completed with very minimal traffic management and delay as a result of the pandemic. Crews didn't have to navigate through heavy traffic or school buses. It was also a time where restaurants and stores were closed," says Mustac.
She says it's important to stay ahead of repairs.
"Cost and risk increase significantly if roads are allowed to deteriorate too far. This could be due to freeze/thaw cycles or exposure to excessive amounts of standing water resulting from flash flooding as a couple of examples," she says.
Mustac says it's a win-win for both the county and the contractors.
"The early release program approved by county council has worked well and allows for completion of the road works on an expedited schedule with competitive tender results. It also supports better coordination with the contractors as there are a few of them that work for the entire region," she adds.
Roughly 34-kilometres of roads across the county are scheduled to be rehabilitated in 2021.
The county's entire road work budget is expected to come in at just over $11.4-million.