Santa's Village Road - Transportation Improvements

Santa’s Village Road (Muskoka Road 15) Transpotation Improvements - Now Complete - October 20th, 2023

With winter approaching and another construction season behind us, we are pleased to announce that the Santa's Village Road (Muskoka Road 15) Transportation Improvements project is now finished. We would like to express our gratitude to everyone for their involvement and cooperation throughout this project. We value your patience and understanding.

Santa’s Village Road (Muskoka Road 15) - Construction Update - August 20th, 2023

Santa’s Village Theme Park has experienced some delays due to utility conflicts with the installation of their new water chamber for their private waterline on Muskoka Road 15 (Santa’s Village Road) in the area of Leslie Drive. These conflicts have now been addressed with work resuming August 21^st and will continue until mid-September due to the delays. During this time, single-lane conditions will be required to undertake this work and motorists can expect minor delays when traveling through this area. The road will be reopened with two lanes of traffic overnight and on weekends.

Santa’s Village Road (Muskoka Road 15) - Construction Update - May 9th, 2023

The District Municipality of Muskoka announces the final construction activities will commence starting mid-May 2023 for the Santa’s Village Road (MR 15) project. After a delay in 2022 due to permits and additional attention needed for the roadway’s subsurface materials to ensure proper conditions are achieved, as well as the lifespan of the road, construction activities will resume for this project as we move into Spring 2023.

Finishing Touches - Final Construction Activities Starting Spring 2023:

We are excited to see the “finishing touches” made on this important project. The District and our contractors remain committed to starting and completing this project as quickly as possible through the 2023 construction season. The District understands the inconvenience that these disruptions have caused and would like to thank everyone for their patience during these necessary road upgrades. We will continue to provide updates as the construction progresses and this project nears completion.

To read the full construction update, please click here.

Santa’s Village Road (Muskoka Road 15) - Construction Update - March 8, 2023

Lakeland Power has been making significant progress on utility pole improvements and tree trimming this past week. . Single-lane traffic disruptions are expected to continue for the remainder of the week as crews are working diligently to finish up these improvements prior to half-load restrictions taking effect.

As work continues to progress on Santa’s Village Road, the District, and our contractors remain committed to starting and completing this project as quickly as possible through this upcoming construction season. The remaining construction activities are anticipated to resume once the roadways half load restriction has been lifted in May. The final completion date for the project is expected to be at the end of July.

Some key construction activities that remain include the installation of 300 meters of new sanitary service under the Beaver Creek River and Trans Canada Pipeline, watermain work, top lift of asphalt, asphalt and granular shoulder, final driveway restoration, ditching for proper drainage, and final landscaping and restoration.

The District understands the inconvenience that these disruptions have caused and would like to thank everyone for their patience during this time. We will continue to provide updates as the construction progresses. If you require specific locations of the construction work, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

Once again, thank you for your patience as we work to improve the infrastructure in the area.

Santa's Village Road (Muskoka Road 15) - Construction Update - December 15, 2022

The construction and safety improvements to Santa's Village Road (Muskoka Road 15) in Bracebridge have concluded for the 2022 season.

Construction crews will return in spring, 2023 to complete the ‘finishing touches’ on the road, including final paving, improvements to driveways, landscaping, and restoration.

We’re almost done – we need to push some items to 2023 when the snow is gone, so we can finish landscaping and ensure property owners are satisfied.

To read the full construction update, please click here.

Santa's Village Road (Muskoka Road 15) - Construction Update - December 8, 2022

The District has received some requests for clarification on the guide rail currently being installed along the shoreline side of Santa's Village Road and is sharing the information below to assist stakeholders on the need and rationale for this installation.

To read the full construction update, please click here.

Santa's Village Road (Muskoka Road 15) requires upgrades and safety feature improvements.
Road repairs are planned from Beaver Creek Bridge to the entrance of Santa's Village Theme Park.

Santa's Village Road (Muskoka Road 15) - Construction Update - November 10, 2022

Paving on Santa’s village Road (MR15) is expected to start as early as Friday, November 11 depending on weather conditions. Crews will also be working on Saturday, November 12^th to complete driveway culverts, and similar to MR 118, crews will return after paving is complete for shouldering/ditch, and driveway culverts and to install the remaining guide rails.

Santa's Village Road (Muskoka Road 15) - Construction Update - September 23, 2022

Notice of full road closure as construction continues

We’ve been hard at work with the install of a new watermain and sanitary infrastructure – but some of this work requires a full road closure, as we get closer to finalizing these activities. Due to the depth required for this connection, a road closure is needed to ensure both the safety of on-site works as well as any public who need to travel along Santa’s Village Road.

Starting at 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 28, 2022 – Santa’s Village Road will be fully closed from Leslie Drive to civic address 371 to facilitate final connection between the new and existing watermain.

The road will reopen at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 29, 2022.

All residents between the area from Leslie Drive to civic address 371 with driveways fronting Santa’s Village Road will have accommodated access. Site staff will be in touch with these residents prior to the closure to address any needs and concerns.

Information for Leslie Drive and Fairlight Glen Crescent Residents:

• Residents along Leslie Drive and Fairlight Glen Crescent will have access to Leslie Drive via Golden Beach Road
• School bus transportation partners are aware, and drivers will be re-routed accordingly to ensure students get to school on time. Please reach out to the school board should you have any questions regarding the adjustments that will be temporary in place while the closure takes place, families will be updated by TLDSB on any changes.

Information for Nichols Country Lane Residents:

• Residents along Nichols Country Lane will have access to Nichols Country Lane via the west side (Wellington Street) of Santa’s Village Road
• School bus transportation partners are aware, and drivers will be re-routed accordingly to ensure students get to school on time. Please reach out to the school board should you have any questions regarding the adjustments that will be temporary in place while the closure takes place, families will be updated by TLDSB on any changes.

Follow Santa

Santa’s Village Road is encouraged for local traffic only this season. Portions of Santa’s Village Road will be reduced to a single-lane while crews are on site, resulting in increased delays. Construction work zones are busy areas that present potential hazards, usually with several work activities taking place at the same time. Our community will see temporary line paint markings along Santa’s Village Road - these refreshed lines are in place to ensure drivers can easily recognize the appropriate route through the work zone.

It is recommended that active transportation users and cyclists avoid this area due to uneven pavement and gravel sections.

To get to Santa’s Village Theme Park, visitors are encouraged to “Follow Santa” – and take an alternate route to reach their destination. Community members using boat launches in this area should also “Follow Santa” to reach locations such as the George Road public boat launch.

• To avoid Santa’s Village Road during construction, “Follow Santa”
  • Take Wellington Street to Highway 118 West
  • 118 West to Golden Beach Road
  • Golden Beach Road to Santa’s Village Road

The District delivered a report to the District Engineering and Public Works Committee on May 18, 2022 which recommended award of the work to Fowler Construction Ltd. Formal approval for this contract is pending ratification at District Council on June 20, 2022.

Highlights of the "Muskoka Solution"

• Property: No property acquisition, no expropriation – use of District property only
  
• Paved shoulders: 0.5 metres and 1.0 metres – varying paved shoulder widths - use of District property only
• Trees: Reduced tree removals, removals required as part of construction
• Guiderail: Steel beam guardrail
• Safety: Reduce speed limit to 40km/hr - Community Safety Zone implemented
• Share the Road: Designated bicycle route and share the road/safety signage
• Santa’s Village: Continued work with Theme Park for private servicing needs

A full time District Inspector has been assigned to this work and will be made available to residents to discuss local impacts and design specifics. Hand-delivered notices will be delivered to residents throughout construction.

We Heard You
The District has worked over the years to identify and address the concerns we've heard from our community about this project. Tree removals, road and shoulder widths, pedestrian safety and speeding vehicles were all top priorities that we have been working to incorporate as we work to improve the road but maintain its charming character.

Santa's Village Theme Park
The District and Town of Bracebridge are committed to supporting our area partners. Since 2019, we have been working with Santa's Village Theme Park on requirements to support their growing operation. They need to install a private water main service and sanitary force main. To do this, it must run beneath the travelled lanes of Santa's Village Road, coincidentally, exactly where the reconstruction project is planned.

This presented a unique opportunity. Working together means we can reduce disruption to our community to accommodate both projects successfully, and share design and engineering investigations. We're looking forward to coordinating construction efforts to maximize benefits to residents and to support the operation upgrades needed at Santa's Village Theme Park. It is important to note that this is a private, commercial service installation for Santa's Village Theme Park only.

Santa’s Village Road (Muskoka Road 15) Construction Update Road Improvements - Notice - July 20, 2023

Completion of the District’s Project to reconstruct Santa’s Village Road under the contract with Fowler Construction is underway. You will note that Fowler has started de-mobilizing (or packing up their equipment) and leaving the construction site.

Over the past year, improvements to the roadway, which included a new driving surface, guiderail system (with customized Pedestrian Access Terminals) and new water and sanitary sewer services to the Santa’s Village Theme Park, have been installed.

We would like to extend our gratitude to all the local residents and members of the public for their support and patience as we completed this critical work.

What’s Next

Santa’s Village Theme Park will be undertaking some additional work outside of the recent contract scope with Fowler Construction. This work will include the installation of a new water chamber in the area of Leslie Drive and is anticipated to take place sometime in August 2023. A single-lane road closure can be expected while this work completed. The anticipated time to complete this work is 2 to 3 weeks.........

To read the full construction update notice, please click here.