Spring Maintenance

With the warming temperatures that begin to melt the ice and snow build-up on top of our gravel roads, the lower layers remain frozen below.  As a result, this leaves the pooling waters with nowhere to drain, creating a mud-slurry in the lower layers.  When the weight of vehicles travelling along these roads push the mud-slurry to the road surface, it destabilizes the roadway structure, resulting in muddy and rutted road conditions.

During the Mud Season in North Perth grading can only be done when the road surface is firm, otherwise when the gravel is moved, more mud is created. If more material were to be added to the roads prior to these ideal conditions, it would also create more mud.

Before road repairs can be done after the Mud Season, roads first need to harden up with some warm and dry weather.  Sunny and windy days are the best conditions to help with this, while some sections of roads may take longer to dry out if they are more sheltered by trees or structures.

The Municipality of North Perth cautions motorist to drive slowly and carefully on gravel roads as some  may be very wet or rutted in areas. 

During the spring thaw, some North Perth roads may become too soft and unstable to withstand the weight of a fully loaded truck, regardless of the axles. In an effort to reduce damage to the roads during spring thaw, each year from March 1^st to April 30^th, we restrict vehicles to half loads (5 tonnes per axle) on all roads in the municipality, in an effort to reduce the amount of damage to North Perth roads.

Please assist us in reducing repairs to our road system by not having heavy deliveries to your property during this time of year.

If you notice a road that is in particularily rough condition, let us know so we can monitor and prioritize repairs once the dryer weather arrives.  Please use one of the following options to report a problem:

-        Request Portal

-        Email the Public Works Department

-        Call 519-292-2066

We appreciate your help and cooperation during this Mud Season.

Did you know that North Perth has approximately 272km of unpaved roads, which accounts for more than 60% of the total municipal road network.

As part of the annual municipal Road Maintenance program, gravel replenishment and regular grading are essential components to eliminate washboards and potholes, in preparation for the application of dust suppressant.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we continue to actively grade deteriorated gravel conditions and request that motorists use caution and drive accordingly to road conditions.