Concession 6 North residents look for road improvements

Residents of Concession 6 North are calling for the town to reconstruct the roadway between Alma St. and Middle Side Road.

Residents of Concession 6 North are wanting to see their road upgraded sooner rather than later.

An online petition is being circulated by residents, started by Kerry McGrail, whose parents Mike and Nancy live on the roadway, asks the stretch between Alma St. and County Road 10 (Middle Side Road) be redone. 

The petition, found on Change.org and called “Fix the 6^th” calls for the work to be done quicker than the current projected timeline by the town.

As of Monday morning, the online petition had over 430 signatures.

Plans currently call for engineering work to be done in 2028 with full reconstruction of that stretch of Concession 6 North to be undertaken in 2031.

Kerry said they acknowledge a roads needs study was done several years ago, but Nancy added that since then, the County of Essex replaced the bridge at County Road 10 and County Road 9 (Howard Ave.) and that caused many drivers to use Concession 6 North as a detour.

“It was terrible to begin with,” said Kerry. “It made it even worse.”

Nancy added what happens now is to send an employee out with cold patch and “throw it in the deepest holes.”

Kerry said she has been handing out flyers asking people to sign the petition and to reach council members about the roadway. Kerry and her parents question how anyone on a bicycle could ride down that stretch of roadway, with Mike noting it is tough for him on his scooter to get to the greenway trail.

Friends of Mike and Nancy don’t want to visit them, Kerry said, because of the condition of the road.

“They are elderly,” said Kerry. “They don’t want to drive on a broken road.”

Calling it a safety concern, Kerry added there are other rural roads that have seen work done though there are fewer homes on those concessions. 

“Amherstburg is a big town. (The former township of) Anderdon got amalgamated into Amherstburg,” she said. “The result is the rural roads aren’t treated the same.”

“There are a lot of residents on this road,” added Nancy.

Kerry said she first raised the issue in April and “I’m re-raising it to a new standard with the petition.” She also questions why there are no roads planned for repair in the 2026 budget.

Contacting the Ministry of Transportation and having them assess the road is something Kerry added is something they may do.

“Come out here and look at the road,” she said. “We’re Amherstburg too. The bottom line is they need to be held accountable. Residents out here count.”

“We built this house 50 years ago,” added Nancy. “Up until recently, we felt part of the Amherstburg community. Now I don’t know what we are.”

Mayor Michael Prue said budget deliberations for 2026 come up later this year and anticipates Concession 6 North will at least be discussed.

“We know it’s bad,” he said of that stretch of roadway. “It’s not the worst.”

Prue said acknowledged that there are other concession roads that need work.

“Concession roads are all in poor shape. I admit that,” he said. “I said that when I ran in the last election and I say it now.”

Prue said town council has done its best to ensure rural communities are looked after, touting a ward system as the best way to make sure they are further cared for in the future.

Council has to make choices as to how money is allocated and while Concession 6 North was discussed in 2025 budget deliberations, money was directed towards recreational needs.

“There’s only so much money,” said Prue. “The choice was made. The choice will be made again in November. We’re a small town with limited resources.”

The mayor said the people along Concession 6 North and surrounding areas are “vocal and united,” but noted he has not heard much from people along Concession 8 North. 

The town’s plans for this year include a $2.9 million reconstruction of Concession 8 North from Alma St. to County Road 10. 

In 2027, the reconstruction of Concession 5 North from North Side Road to County Road 8 (North Townline) is planned with an estimated cost of $2.35 million. Engineering for Concession 8 North between County Road 10 and County Road 8 ($175,000 estimate) and Concession 3 North from Alma St. to County Road 10 ($175,000 estimate) is proposed.

In 2028, the engineering for Concession 6 North between Alma St. and County Road 10 is estimated at $250,000 with reconstruction of Concession 3 North between Alma St. and County Road 10 estimated at $3.75 million. 

The latter project could stretch into 2029, at least from a budgetary perspective.

Projects proposed for 2030 include Concession 8 North reconstruction from County Road 10 to County Road 8 ($5.71 million estimate) and the reconstruction of Concession 6 South from County Road 18 to South Sideroad ($1.15 million estimate).

Concession 6 North residents look for road improvements

By Ron Giofu