Infrastructure Services staff strives to provide clean and safe travel conditions for all modes of transportation, including, but not limited to, motorized and horse drawn vehicles and pedestrians.
We maintain the Township roads in accordance with the Minimum Maintenance Standards for Municipal Highways (Ontario Regulation 239/02, as amended).
Maintenance activities include routinely patrolling the roads to check for:
Please report any problems you see on a road or sidewalk.
Many of the larger, higher traffic roads are Regional Roads.
If you find a problem on a Regional Road, please contact the Region of Waterloo Dispatch at 519-575-4400.
If you are interested in creating a new driveway or making any changes to an existing driveway you will need to apply for an entrance permit. There are rules such as maximum width and number of driveways that apply to each property.
To find out what may apply to your property please contact Infrastructure Services staff.
If you are doing work that requires occupation or closure of a Township road, sidewalk, boulevard or right-of-way, you will need to apply for a road work permit.
To find out what may apply to your property please contact Infrastructure Services staff.
Many special events are hosted within the Township; the biggest of which being the Elmira Syrup Festival. Whether you are looking for food, family fun or a sporting event, there's an event in Woolwich for you!
We are here to guide you through this process. Our team can answer your questions about food, vendors, fireworks, tents, and alcohol at an event.
If you are organizing a festival or an event on a Township roadway, sidewalk, or parking lot that may interfere with the normal flow of traffic or require a road closure you will need to complete a Special Event Permit application. Please see below for details and the application form.
Please note that if you have applied for a Special Event Permit in the past, there are changes to the process as of January 2023.
Special Events are:
If you are planning to use walkways, pathways, trails, parks, sports fields, and/or community centres for your special event, please contact our Recreation and Community Services Department for more information.
If your event includes: food, alcohol, fireworks, music or tents you may require additional applications. Please contact our Corporate Services Department for more information.
Special Events do not include the following items:
The application must be submitted to the Infrastructure Services Department a minimum of 8 weeks prior to the commencement of the event. No person or persons shall stage a Special Event on Township property without first obtaining a Special Event Permit from the Township of Woolwich.
Before starting a Special Event Permit application, consider whether you plan to hire paid duty or auxiliary police services through the Waterloo Regional Police Services.
For events within the Township's Road Allowance, which includes roads, sidewalks and boulevards, and municipal parking lots, there may be different requirements to submit. Please be aware that the Township will not supply traffic control devices. Rentals for traffic control must be sourced by the organizer, including the set-up and removal of all traffic control devices. Many equipment rental companies are able to provide these devices.
Road closures or partial road closures are determined at the discretion of the Infrastructure Services Staff. Changes to the routing may be requested based on construction or safety hazards.
The Event Organizer must produce the following:
Full requirements and details are outlined in the Special Events Permit Application form. The form needs to be filled out and submitted prior to making any plans.
Once copies of all event requirements are submitted and have been reviewed by Township Staff and associated authorities, you will receive a permit for approval and can proceed with your event.
We are committed to providing safe roads and sidewalks for the travelling public during the winter season.
Please do not call to report unplowed roads or sidewalks until at least 24 hours after the end of the snow storm.
The Township of Woolwich is responsible for implementing a winter control program on Township Roads. This mostly includes snowplowing, but frequently also includes salting/sanding. Roads are patrolled daily during the winter months to guide winter control. Our dedicated and hardworking Operations Staff make every effort to ensure the Township Roads are adequately cleaned to provide safe travel to all.
The Township is obligated to adhere to O.Reg. 239/02 - Minimum Maintenance Standards for Municipal Highways (MMS) where the Ministry of Transportation has established minimum standards of repairs for deficiencies and timeframes for winter maintenance of roadways. There are six road classifications identified in the regulation with Class 1 roadways garnering the highest level of service and Class 6 roadways the least. Woolwich’s road network is comprised of roadways that fall between Class 3 to Class 6. These roadways interconnect throughout the 9 snow plow routes across the Township.
During some snowfall events, certain roadways may be treated as a priority even though they are within the same classification based on the affect to the larger community. For example, a Class 5 roadway where a school is located would be deemed a priority compared to a Class 5 roadway that only has residential homes on it.
How quickly Operations Staff is able to address snow clearing is affected by a number of factors including:
If you have any concerns or questions regarding winter maintenance please Report It, contact our Operations Department during normal working hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 519-669-6043 or after hours and weekends contact the Region of Waterloo call centre at 519-575-4400.
Five things to remember during the winter:
For all Settlements, except Elmira, property owners are required to clear snow from the sidewalks in front of or beside their homes or businesses within 24 hours after the end of a snow fall that results in an accumulation of 38 mm or more.
The sidewalk snow clearing by-law outlines the policy for all properties.
The Township contracts the removal of snow on sidewalks in Elmira according to priority routes and then adds this service to the benefiting property owner's tax bill. In Elmira, the contractor has 24 hours after the end of the snowfall to clear the sidewalks, as such, there can be no guarantee that all priority sidewalk locations will be cleared by 8:30 a.m. Often, a section of sidewalk is believed to have been missed but more snow may have fallen after the sidewalk equipment has been past that area. It will be addressed the following evening within the 24 hour timeframe.
Similar to Road Clearing, the sidewalk operations follow a pre-determined route to minimize duplication and maximize the efficiency of snow clearing operations. The routes are based on a priority sequence with school zones, downtown core and collector roads being deemed to have the highest priority and receiving maintenance first.
As with clearing roadways, many variables affect sidewalk snow clearing operations; amount of snow, the type of snow, amount of drifting, how fast it accumulates, how long the snow fall lasts, and equipment breakdowns. These all impact how quickly sidewalk snow clearing can be completed.
Throughout the year there are many construction and roadwork projects underway across the Township.
To find out more about current Township Infrastructure Projects (Bridges, Roads, Water and Sewer), visit our EngageWR page for more details.
The Regional Municipality of Waterloo provides additional information on their web page closures and reconstruction projects.
Half Load, Oversized Loads and Load Limited Structures
An oversize/overweight permit is required for any vehicles travelling on Township roads where the dimensions or weight exceed the limits permitted by legislation.
No person shall drive a vehicle or combination of vehicles on a highway that is in excess of the dimensions and weight set out in the Highway Traffic Act without first having obtained a permit from the Region of Waterloo.
Permits can be attained by filling out a Region of Waterloo application through their online process.
Load limits are posted on both approaches to bridges throughout the Township. The load restrictions on structures are outline in By-laws 115-1999 and 9-2011. If you require further information on restrictions please contact Engineering Staff.
All Half Load, Oversized and Structures that meet the above specifications are outlined on this Township Map.
If you require further information regarding Half Load, Oversized or Structures, please contact Infrastructure Services Staff.
Traffic calming is a method used to reduce the impact of traffic on neighbourhood streets and increase the overall safety for all users by:
'Drive Like Your Children Live Here' lawn sign packages are available for purchase at the Township of Woolwich Administration Building (24 Church Street West in Elmira). Each package comes complete with an 'H'-Frame steel stand and a 'Drive Like Your Children Live Here' Coroplast Sign. The sign measures 16 inches wide and 24 inches high. Packages are $8.50 each (HST included). Signs are to be placed on private property (i.e. on the front lawn, not in the boulevard) and in accordance with the Township of Woolwich Sign By-law.
For more information on traffic calming measures available within the Township please contact Infrastructure Services staff.
The Adopt-a-Road program allows a variety of organizations the opportunity to assist the Township in keeping the environment clean and maintaining scenic roadways throughout the Township, including:
The applicant can fill out an Adopt-a-Road application and return it to the Township offices.
For more information on the program including terms and conditions, responsibilities and safety guidelines please contact Infrastructure Services.
Infrastructure Services
24 Church Street West
P.O. Box 158
Elmira, Ontario N3B 2Z6
519-669-6041
Email
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