Heavy trucks are tearing up this rural Oshawa road. Locals say it's an accident waiting to happen

It's a rare moment on Harmony Road in rural north Oshawa when you can hear birds chirping.

Since November, residents say that sound has been routinely drowned out by hundreds of dump trucks a day that have chewed up the country road. 

These heavy duty trucks are churning up mud and creating dangerous conditions, residents say. Some describe being unable to enter or exit the driveway to their homes, while also navigating speeding truck drivers. 

The result has been “a destruction of our road, our sense of peace [and] our sense of safety,” said Karen Goranson, who lives on Harmony Road. 

“It’s an accident waiting to happen,” she said. 

This truck activity revolves around an aggregate pit on Harmony Road, owned by Hard-Co Construction, a company based in Whitby. 

For several years, the pit went unused. But in November, residents say Hard-Co licensed the pit out to EMP Emperial Contracting, an unrelated company that’s based in Port Perry. 

And then, the trucks started coming — as many as 200 a day, said Matthew Saunders, who lives on Harmony Road.

CBC News reached out to EMP on Tuesday by phone and left a voicemail. CBC News also emailed several questions to EMP on Tuesday.

Residents on neighbouring roads also say they’ve dealt with an onslaught of trucks. 

Lauren Paré, who lives on Howden Road, says she’s struggled to navigate its blind hills without knowing if she’ll be met by a dump truck driving down the middle of the road. 

“I’ve had to dodge off into a driveway to avoid being hit because the trucks refused to move,” she said. 

Several residents said they’ve called police due to reckless driving by some truck drivers. CBC News has reached out to Durham Regional Police Service for comment.  

Paré also recalled an incident when school buses were delayed and rerouted because of a back-up of trucks down Harmony and Howden roads.