The northern end St Thomas Road is one of three roads located in the north-eastern portion of Russell Township, separated from the rest of the municipality by Highway 417. Access to this portion of the township comes from two boundary roads to the north and east; Russland Road, which borders the City of Ottawa, and Limoges Road, which is shared with The Nation.

Lynne Martel, who moved to her property on the street about 10 years ago, said potholes and dust had been an ongoing issue over that time. While the potholes were regularly filled in, she said the current maintenance of the road did not solve the long-term problems.

“The repairs only last a week or two and then more potholes appear,” she said. “There’s so many potholes sometimes that you can’t walk on it, and it’s really tough on your suspension. A lot of dust from construction also means that there can be a lot of mud on the road.”

Increased traffic from new houses on the road had only exacerbated the issue, Martel said. She said the number of new residents, combined with the existing condition of the road, meant a more permanent solution was needed.

“In the last three or four years, there have been new houses popping up along the street, and they’re costing between $400,000 and $800,000,” she said. “There aren’t many vacant lots, and all those properties are paying municipal taxes.”

Russell Infrastructure Services executive director Jonathan Bourgon confirmed the municipality was responsible for the upkeep of the northern portion of St Thomas Road. He said no major upgrades to the road had yet been planned. “At this time, no major work is planned, only maintenance like pothole repair and grading,” he said.

Two fifths of the 2.5 percent tax increase passed in Russell’s 2021 budget earlier this month would go towards road rehabilitation and repairs across the township. The increase was intended to boost the amount of road work that could be completed each year and reduce the asset management shortfall at the township.