County of Brant Council discussed the addition of an all-way stop at Keg Lane and Brant-Oxford Road during its regular Council meeting on Tuesday, July 8, 2025.
The items came forward in regards to the reconstruction of Grand River Street North in downtown Paris. Motorists have been encouraged to use the Paris West bypass as an alternate route to access roads and destinations south of Paris, and traffic volumes as well as congestion have increased on Keg Lane, specifically at the intersection at Brant-Oxford Road.
According to the report, submitted by Mark Eby, Director of Infrastructure and Asset Management, and Rick Knap, Roads Technologist, there is currently a “T” intersection that exists with stop control for Keg Lane’s west bound traffic.
While an engineering consultant is currently in the midst of designing temporary traffic signals, they are not expected to be in operation until later this summer and potentially into the fall. Until the lights can be installed, staff have proposed a temporary all-way stop to mitigate congestion and safety issues.
“This configuration will allow westbound traffic on Keg Lane to make safer turning movements onto Brant-Oxford Road, while also providing southbound traffic on Brant-Oxford Road with a controlled and safe opportunity to turn onto Keg Lane,” read the report. “Although this measure will temporarily delay the primary North-South flow along Brant-Oxford Road, it is considered a necessary step to enhance safety and reduce congestion until the planned traffic signals are installed later this summer.”
Brant-Oxford Road is a shared boundary road with Oxford County, and any modifications needed to be approved by both municipalities.
During the meeting, Councillor Steve Howes asked what the exact anticipated timeline was for the installation of the traffic lights, and Eby said that the consultant had done the work but that he wasn’t sure if the lights would work better than the stop signs.
“We want to do a bit more analysis to figure out exactly what the best timing is and what needs to happen, but doing the all-way stop there is actually better than not [doing anything],” replied Eby.
Councillor John Peirce agreed that having something at the intersection was better than nothing, but inquired if staff were working on putting something in at Bishopsgate and Powerline roads.
“They’re going to do further analysis on that to determine what is the best way forward,” replied Eby. “It could be an all-way stop because we know in a couple of years, with the reconstruction of Powerline, that we intend to do something permanent at that intersection as well.”
Switching back to the issue at Keg Lane, Peirce then asked what would happen if Brant approved the item but Oxford County didn’t, and Eby said he didn’t believe it would be an issue as they’ve been in contact with Oxford’s staff.
Councillor Jennifer Kyle then asked how soon the all-way stop would be installed at Keg Lane and Brant-Oxford Road if everything went according to plan and both counties approved the item.
David Mellor, Brant’s General Manager of Operations, said the poles and signs have already been acquired but that staff were expecting to receive the locations of any underground utilities this week. The locates are needed before anything can be installed, but if all goes to plan, they could be up within the next couple of weeks.
Council then unanimously voted to approve the all-way stop, specifically two stop signs for northbound and southbound motorists on Brant-Oxford Road as it intersects with Keg Lane.
Oxford County Council also unanimously approved the item during their meeting on Wednesday, July 9, 2025.
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
