Emergency Culvert Repair – Full Closure of Southwood Road (Muskoka Road 13) Planned for Next Week

Update: Closure has been extended until 5PM Friday, August 19, 2022. See the full update

Monday, August 8, 2022 (Muskoka, ON) – An emergency full road closure of Southwood Road (Muskoka Road 13) is required next week. A failed culvert, located approximately 1 km from Muskoka Road 169 will cause Southwood Road to be fully closed in both directions for four days, during the week of August 15, 2022, with a significant detour in effect.

• Southwood Road (Muskoka Road 13) fully closed starting at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, August 15, 2022 until 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 18, 2022.
• Road will be fully closed in both directions with detour

Please note, that a correction to the detour route has been made and reflected in the content below.

• 34 km detour in effect around the closure (to reconnect with MR 13 at MR 19) – Detour Map
• Southbound traffic: Continue South on Muskoka Road 169, to Highway 11 South Bound, Exit at Muskoka Road 19 (Beiers Road), North on Muskoka Road 13 (Southwood Road)
• Northbound traffic: Route 1:  Muskoka Road 13 (Southwood Road) to Highway 11 Northbound, Exit at Muskoka Road 169 (Bethune Drive), North on Muskoka Road 169 to Muskoka Road 13 (Southwood Road) OR

• Route 2: Muskoka Road 13 (Southwood Road) to Muskoka Road 19 (Beiers Road) to Sedore Road to Highway 11 Northbound, Exit at Muskoka Road 169 (Bethune Drive), North on Muskoka Road 169 to Muskoka Road 13 (Southwood Road)

Emergency Repairs – What Happened

The Resound Creek Twin Culverts have failed due to sudden damage from debris build-up and removal efforts. Crews have been working to maintain the site, however the situation has deteriorated to the point that a total failure of the road is possible - an expedited and controlled complete replacement is necessary.

Due to the depth of the installation, single lane traffic cannot be feasibly accommodated and therefore a full closure is required to ensure an efficient and quality installation. These culverts convey water from Echo Lake and the surrounding catchment across Muskoka Road 13 to the Lake Muskoka-Bala Bay Sub-Watershed. As part of this replacement effort, the culverts will be increased in size to better handle increased flows resulting from high precipitation or beaver activity.

Crews will work 24 hours a day, until this work is complete. The road will reopen by the end of day on Thursday, August 18, 2022.

When the road is reopened, the detour will be lifted. Single-lane traffic will be in effect while crews complete final work - motorists are advised that minor delays may be experienced until the first week of September.

We recognize the disruption and inconvenience this causes our community – and appreciate your patience and cooperation while this emergency work is completed. For more information, please visit our website at www.muskoka.on.ca.

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