Public Works Department (Roads & Landfills)

The Highlands East Public Works Department is responsible for overseeing and carrying out road maintenance and landfill operations throughout the Municipality by developing, implementing and administering the objectives and programs as established by Council.

The Public Works Department also conducts preventative maintenance activities that protect and prolong the life of the Municipality's Road and Landfill Infrastructure. These activities include asphalt patching and paving, gravel resurfacing and landfill site upkeep.

Garbage and Recycling

Garbage and recycling services are provided by the Municipality of Highlands East. Our facilities include four landfill sites and a transfer station with a user-pay Garbage and Recycling Pick-Up available in some areas. Our landfill sites have two operating seasons, Winter and Summer.

Try out our Waste Wizard app or view our Garbage and Recycling page for further details on landfill locations, hours of operation, fees and more.

Roads related after-hours emergencies

If you have an after-hours emergency, please call 705-448-2934 as this number is monitored 24/7.

Report a Streetlight Outage

The Municipality of Highlands East contracts professional electrical services to perform maintenance and repairs on its streetlights. Common street light maintenance issues include:

Burnt out lights
Flickering lights
Lights left on throughout the day
Damaged poles or arms
Opened lens

To report concerns with street lighting contact the Public Works Department. Please note the exact location and report the closest intersection and/or 911 number.

To report an intermittent streetlight or streetlight outage please email the Operations Supervisor or contact the Public Works Department at 705-448-1595.

Reduced Load Limit Period

On an annual basis, the Municipality implements a period of reduced loads during the spring thaw on the Municipality's road system. This is done in order to protect the road base from damage caused by wheels loads of heavy vehicles and to increase the life-cycle of municipal roadways.

Road Construction and Closures

Road closures are sometimes needed because of emergency repairs or planned road improvement projects. The Municipality is committed to re-opening roads as quickly as possible so that traffic can return to normal.

To view any recent road closures in our area, view Road Construction and Closures in our news section and visit the Haliburton County Road Closures Website that has an interactive road closures map is available for viewing on your home computer or mobile device.

Studies and Reports

Roads Needs Study

The Municipality retained the services of D.M. Wills Associates Limited to complete a review of the existing road network and assess its physical condition as well as confirm various road attributes. All data collected was used to develop a prioritized listing of the road network needs, creating the basis of our Comprehensive Roads Needs Study.

Bridges and Culverts

Bridges and large culverts with a span of more than 3 metres are inspected every second year as per Ontario Regulation 104-97. These Ontario Structure Inspection Manual (OSIM) reports are available online for you to view.

About the Public Works Department

The Municipality's complete road infrastructure system spans a total of 215 km primarily within a rural setting, with small areas of urban and semi-urban development. The road network includes surfaces ranging from gravel to hot mix paved. The Municipality has approximately 144 km of gravel roads, 63 km of surface treated roads and 8 km of hot mix asphalt paved roads.

Our garbage and recycling facilities include four landfill sites and a transfer station.

Services include:

Culverts
Ditching
Dust Control
Grading
Pothole Repairs
Road Patrol and Inspection
Roadside Mowing
Street Sweeping
Traffic Signs
Maintenance of Landfill and Transfer Stations
Administration of Garbage, Recycling and related programs