Ward 4 Councillor Pat Bamford presented a petition to city council on Monday seeking a resolution to an ongoing issue in Porcupine.
An exposed railway crossing on King Street has caused noise levels to rise well above acceptable standards.
In October of 2013 the Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO) removed asphalt which was covering the railway tracks, in order to allow the ONR(Ontario Northland Railway) to move in a large electrical transformer to service the area.
“That happened in October, and the transformer went by in November. Nine months have gone by and this depression in the highway is still there” said Bamford
“There are thousands of vehicles that travel across the tracks every day and quite frankly because they’re entering into a highway, they are speeding up. People are hitting that bump very hard and the 18-wheelers that are carrying ore are hitting it equally hard, especially at night. People are saying to me they are being awakened from their sleep in the middle of the night. Their houses are shaking. There are constant loud noises” added Bamford.
Bamford aimed his ire at the MTO.
“I can’t believe the MTO would leave this kind of depression on Highway 11. It’s been nine months, there’s no definitive date that I know of to have this covered. That’s what is worrisome to me. Unless we start rattling some cages, this thing could be there until next year and that’s not fair to the people in that area”
Bamford suggested that Mayor Tom Laughren could speak on behalf of council to the MTO to get some definitive dates to have this issue resolved.
If they cannot provide dates, Bamford proposed that the city could pave over the tracks to improve the quality of life for residents in the area, with permission from the MTO.
The railroad forms the boundary of highway maintenance responsibilities between the City of Timmins and the MTO.
(PHOTO: Councillor Pat Bamford speaks during Monday night's city council meeting. Andrew Autio for TimminsToday)
