Posh lake road closure

[davek 1]

Was at Posh lake yesterday and MTO had the road ditched and a large burm placed behind ,it they said they were closing the access,they left it open on one corner so we could get back out ,but said they would close that off also, probably today.They didn't know why ,they were told to do it.Contacted MNR today they new nothing about it ,seems its strictly an MTO thing.Could not talk to anyone at MTO today. SO for now you won't be able to access the road from 527.Maybe get some answeres tomorrow.

[Guest Eye Guy]

Which road? Was it the road that accesses the south end of the lake or the one that accesses half way up the lake at the river?

[joks 26]

I see they are also pulling out the back way into Smiley as well. There are red signs on almost every sideroad on the Spruce river road advising they are pulling the Culverts

[Kaptain Kirk 34]

Was at Posh lake yesterday and MTO had the road ditched and a large burm placed behind ,it they said they were closing the access,they left it open on one corner so we could get back out ,but said they would close that off also, probably today.They didn't know why ,they were told to do it.Contacted MNR today they new nothing about it ,seems its strictly an MTO thing.Could not talk to anyone at MTO today. SO for now you won't be able to access the road from 527.Maybe get some answeres tomorrow.

[Kaptain Kirk 34]

I think it is Time NOSA Steps In about these Road Closures or Culvert / Bridges removals etc around the Thunder Bay Area, The MNR / MTO are getting away with this. These Roads are built with Tax payers money and now they want to restrict access, This is BS, Down east they Pave the Boat Launches, up here in the North they Remove Access bye digging them up or putting Burms up or Road Closure Signs to Protect the Out Fitters, This Has to Stop. We are The Residence Public and we should be able to use any lake, river, pond, we want with out having to cut or build a road that was all ready into these areas for years.

Its Time People Start Joining ONT ORA to stop this MNR ? MTO Practises. up here in the North.

ONTARIO OUTDOORS RECREATIONAL ALLIANCE, Inc.

[Travis Schallock 28]

I know this has been on here before but here it is again.

http://signon.org/sign/mnr-restore-equal-public?source=s.em.cr&r_by=1885398&mailing_id=5356

[joks 26]

I stand corrected. They are pulling out both access's to Smiley Lake. I just drove by and the main launch on the corner is also being pulled out.

[Guest Smack Um]

Was at Posh lake yesterday and MTO had the road ditched and a large burm placed behind ,it they said they were closing the access,they left it open on one corner so we could get back out ,but said they would close that off also, probably today.They didn't know why ,they were told to do it.Contacted MNR today they new nothing about it ,seems its strictly an MTO thing.Could not talk to anyone at MTO today. SO for now you won't be able to access the road from 527.Maybe get some answeres tomorrow.

I know of two roads that form one loop road to Posh waypoints as follows:

Posh North Loop: N49 15.653 W89 23.904 EL 466m (near Trojek Lake)

Posh South Loop: N49 11.784 W89 24.874 EL 446m (across from Lac Des Isles Mine)

Next time I get up that way I will take a picture of the road closure and post it if somebody doesn't beat me to it.

Thanks for posting this davek people need to know about this.

[crisop 65]

would they be digging them up and replacing the culverts or are they actually digging then up and telling us to screw off

[joks 26]

The signs on the side of Spruce river road say removal of Culverts. There are probably around 20 little side roads with the sign on them around eaglehead and decourcey. Mostly old non used bush roads

but a couple are driveable for bird hunting or whatever. In other words they are telling us to "screw off".

[Guest netgirl]

could it be temporary whilst they fix 527..?

[Slick_Jig 6]

Many roads and water crossings are closed because of liability issues. Most likely put in place by a forestry company and now that' it's not used they close it to avoid ppl getting hurt because of no maintenance . Unsure about the smiley closing.

[fisherdude 69]

It's not temporary... Why no just a use at your own risk sign? If ts to save money on maintenance wouldn't that be the best way? I just don't get it.... Great way to bring in tourism.

[AB 98]

The Wolf River access on the north side of the highway was dug up and bermed several years ago. People were on the phone pretty fast that spring. The explanation provided by the MTO was "UNSAFE" or "uncontrolled" intersections on provincial highways were being removed where possible. This was done to lower liability and protect people and property.

After a few phone calls to the DFO - yes the fisheries guys, the MTO had to go back and put in a nice new access point. The MTO had inadvertantly cut off the access to the Lamprey Trap at the Wolf River Weir. - The lesson here is that things can be reversed, if you talk to the right people.

Some intersections are indeed cause for caution. You probably know of a few that are found after a blind curve or rock cut were visability is reduced. We can acknowledge that access points like that are a concern. However, most of us know where they are, and pay a little more attention to the road when approaching them.

If public safety is the reason for removal, why not locate access points in a safe location in the first place?

iceman

[Buck 120 32]

This makes my blood boil. I hope it is only temporary, the road closure that is!

[crisop 65]

i'm sure if a bunch of us bring a culvert and some shovels after the road work is done we can get it reopened

[eddylives 99]

That works for me but the problem is the long list of fines and charges "the man" will drum up to make an example of those attempting to do it.

Another short sighted decision made by people that have no business deciding how things should be.....southern ontario politics being forced on the north when they have no clue about our lifestyle. They live in their concrete jungles and expect to dictate our lives to their very different standards of living.

[davek 1]

Big meeting by mnr today to address all the complaints ,have been told the posh lake road access has been reopened but don't know of the others ,smiley probably won't because it's a safety thing being on the bend of the highway.This all started with the mto checking access points off the highway and any that were not renewed by installer of road were sent to mnr to see if they wanted the accesses left open and take out access permit,looks like mnr didn't do anything so mto set about to close those and any that were a safety hazard.

[tracker 61]

A good majority of questions have been answered through the previous posts but I sat down and tried to put together what I call Forest Access Roads 101. Please feel free to correct me if I have made any wrong statements. Just to clarify, forest access roads are what the forest company provides to us to access the forest. Highway access is what the MTO provides to the forest company so we can get to the forest access road, ( I hope this isn't too confusing.)

Forest Access Roads

MNR

The MNR does not build forest access roads or maintains them. Existing roads were turned over to the Forest License Holders for maintenance in the last ten years.

Forest License Holder

The Forest License Holder (FLH) , example: Resolute Forest Products for the Dog-River Matawin Forest and Green Mantle Forest Products for the Lakehead Forest, builds and maintains forest access roads through various contractors. There are two types of roads that the Ontario taxpayer contributes to and they are primary and secondary roads. The Ontario Government has put "X" number of dollars in a forest road maintenance account and each FLH gets a certain percentage to use. Primary roads are subsidized up to 100 % of their cost and secondary roads are subsidized up to 50 % of the cost until the FLH spends his yearly allocated amount. The FLH normally maintains roads that they are using or intend to use for their forest activities. They do not maintain all roads.

The FHL does pull temporary culverts and bridges. These removals are brought forward when they apply for their Annual Work Schedules. The removals are discussed with the Local Citizens Committees and stakeholders and need to be approved. They do not put temporary crossings on primary and secondary roads. The exception would be if there is an alternate route that would remain accessible.

MTO

The MTO is responsible for highway access. Annually they approach the FLH or whoever has the permit for the highway access (could be a cottage organization) and asks if they would like the access maintained. Most forest access roads would have a stop sign and the approach would have to visible. All of these things are a liability which the FLH or permit holder would have to pay a fee to the MTO. If the FLH makes the decision that they will not continue the permit, than the road can be decommissioned by the MTO.

Also, there are certain standards that must be met to be deemed safe to get or sustain a highway access point. This would also include public driveways.

[Kaptain Kirk 34]

Can Somebody put the Name and Number of who to Call, To Get These Access Roads Opened up again like Posh and Smiley, May be they can put a new access point in for Smiley Lake.

Thanks Kap

[Kaptain Kirk 34]

Came By Posh Lake last Night There is No Access there Yet. unless you have a Quad Runner.

Also Notice all Kinds of other Red Signs Posted at Smiley lake and Other Roads,

I hope they plan on making a New Landing at Smiley Lake, Cause if this was The GTA Area, it would be a Concrete Launch Pad, and a Paved Parking Lot.

But I kind of figure there wont be anything there Now, Just another Strike against The Fishermen and Hunters,of this Province, THe MNR Always trying to Protect the Land from the Tax Payers,

Just Like the No Motorized Access lakes.That the MNR is protecting for Outfitters, Which in my mind is BS, The Ontario Tax Payers should be able to go any lake / river. they wish to do so, cause in my mind, we are the people who are paying. and it is Our Right.

[Guest Splitshot]

Here is the sign at the main launch at smiley...nice to c they crossed out the complaint date of May 20 2012 and didn't post the signs untill Second Last week in Aug. The phone number on the sign is 473-2089 and location number is 26+900

The second SIgn is the back entrance to smiley.

[Kaptain Kirk 34]

Hey all you fishermen, call the number above of 473-2089 location 26+900 and voice your thoughts and opinions to the MTO lady in charge, about this landing removal at Smiley Lake, thats the only way, to stop this or have them put a new entrance in. The more people call and write the better the results

[Guest Smack Um]

Thanks for the pics Splitshot and the good info tracker & Kaptain Kirk this is certainly a hot topic as the road access issue "outcome" may very well effect us all in one way or another and our fishing future!

[Lyle Reiner 174]

When I talked to her, she had over 24 ppl call her today. Says there have been too many accidents or near misses at smiley launch. But she couldn't explain why they pulled the back way.

Said that she's been in talks with the mnr about funding for a new launch for 4 'months.