Councillor Kelly's Statement on Road Resurfacing in Ward 5
- Clarke Kelly
- May 26
- 3 min read
Councillor Kelly and his team met earlier this month with members of the Infrastructure and Water Services Department (left to right, far side of table) GM Tammy Rose, Scott Laberge, and Douglas Rathwell to discuss road resurfacing priorities in Ward 5.
Statement on Road Resurfacing in Ward 5 May 26, 2026
Over the past several years, I have consistently advocated for greater attention to road resurfacing priorities in Ward 5 and have shared many of the frustrations residents have raised about how road selection decisions are made.
As part of those ongoing discussions, I recently requested a more in-depth review and on-site discussion with the General Manager of Infrastructure and Water Services, the Manager of Linear Asset Management, and the Program Manager for Infrastructure Renewal to better examine some of the roads that residents have identified as long-standing concerns.
The purpose of the meeting was to better demonstrate the real condition of many of the roads in our ward, discuss how resurfacing decisions are made, and advocate for a stronger understanding of the unique infrastructure challenges facing our rural community.
One thing that is important for residents to understand is the sheer scale of Ottawa’s road network. The City of Ottawa is geographically enormous and requires continuous road repair and resurfacing work across all twenty-four wards every construction season.
Ward 5 alone Is bigger than the entire City of Edmonton and spans more than 760 square kilometers and contains approximately 11% of the City’s road network.
I am proud to say that resurfacing investments in Ward 5 have been increasing, and through this year’s budget process we secured approximately 11% of the City’s total resurfacing funding for our ward. This helps to ensure we receive our fair share to better reflect the size and needs of our community.
During our discussion, staff explained how the City monitors road conditions and prioritizes resurfacing projects. Much of the current strategy focuses on roads considered to be in “fair” condition, because preventative resurfacing at that stage is the most cost-effective way to extend the lifespan of a road before full reconstruction becomes dramatically more expensive.
While I understand the financial logic behind that approach, our tour focused heavily on roads that many residents would describe as being in “poor” condition — including residential roads that have often gone 40+ years without resurfacing. These are the roads people rely on every single day, and I continue to push for stronger consideration of these long-overdue projects.
We also discussed the broader realities municipalities are facing:
• a widening infrastructure funding gap
• rapidly increasing construction costs
• aging infrastructure deteriorating faster than available funding can keep up with
• growing pressure on rural road networks across large geographic areas
This year’s resurfacing and road rehabilitation program for Ward 5 includes a number of important projects, and I will be sharing the full list of roads scheduled for work this year — and next year where available — along with information from the presentation that was shared during our meeting.
In particular, I continue advocating for several major corridor roads that residents have consistently identified as top priorities, with the goal of moving them higher on the City’s resurfacing and rehabilitation schedule, including:
- Woodkilton Road from Galetta Side Road to MacLaren’s Landing
- Carp Road from Thomas A. Dolan Parkway to Kinburn Side Road
- Donald B. Munro Drive from John Shaw Road to Kinburn Side Road
- Upper Dwyer Hill Road from Kinburn Side Road to Ottawa Road 29
- Bearhill Road from Vaughan Side Road to Rocky Creek Way
As part of the 2026 budget process, funding was secured for design work on Carp Road and Donald B. Munro Drive for this year, which is a critical step required before larger rehabilitation or resurfacing work can proceed.
While these are three of the main arterial roads in the ward, I also continue advocating strongly for many residential roads that the community has raised with me over the past several years. Included in this list are Barlow, Armitage, Grierson, Delaney, Midvale, and more.
This work is ongoing, and I remain committed to advocating for infrastructure funding that more accurately reflects both the sheer size of Ward 5’s road network and the everyday realities rural residents face when it comes to road conditions, travel distances, and long-term infrastructure needs.
The reality is simply that our roads are our transportation network, and roughly 80% of ward 5 residents have identified roads as being their top priority. This will remain a key focus of mine as long as I am your Councillor.
I invite you to view this power point presentation below that outlines our road budget, how we prioritize scheduled projects, the inspection process, and the various projects that are planned in Ward 5. You can watch the video slide show directly below, or download the still version in the second link below.
