Prince Edward Island Stabilized Construction Entrances and Trackout Control
The Environmental Protection Act, Buffer Zone Rules, and Sediment Control
Prince Edward Island is a small, low-lying island of red soils, farmland, and coastline, where rivers and estuaries run short and drain quickly to the Northumberland Strait and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The island's fine red soil erodes easily, and sediment reaching its rivers and shellfish waters is a long-standing concern, which puts erosion and sediment control at the centre of construction planning around Charlottetown, Summerside, and rural development. Keeping sediment on the job site and off public roads is a core compliance duty, and a stabilized construction entrance is one of the first controls installed and inspected.
Prince Edward Island Environmental Regulation
Prince Edward Island regulates construction discharges under the Environmental Protection Act, administered by the Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action, which controls the release of pollutants, including sediment, into the environment. Work in or near a watercourse or wetland, or within the province's protective buffer zones, requires a Watercourse, Wetland and Buffer Zone Activity permit that carries erosion and sediment control conditions. Island projects also fall under the federal Fisheries Act, so letting sediment reach a fish-bearing water can carry federal liability in addition to provincial requirements.
Municipal and Transportation Requirements
Municipalities and the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure set erosion and sediment control expectations on their projects. An erosion and sediment control plan identifies the best management practices that will keep sediment out of storm systems and watercourses, and the construction entrance is one of the controls watched most closely, because on the island's erodible red soils tracked sediment moves easily from the road into ditches and drains that lead to the rivers and coast.
The Aggregate Construction Entrance and Its Limits
Guidance describes the traditional construction entrance as a pad of coarse aggregate placed over a geotextile fabric at every site exit, built to knock sediment loose from tires, with runoff directed to a sediment control. The weakness of the aggregate pad is maintenance. On Prince Edward Island's fine red soils the stone fills quickly with sediment, loses its ability to clean tires, and must be topped up or replaced, while any material tracked onto the road has to be removed promptly. When the stone pad alone is not enough, a wheel wash sprays tires with pressurized water and drains to a sediment trap, adding water handling and cleanout. Each option carries a recurring cost and a maintenance cycle that a durable manufactured entrance can avoid.
FODS as a Compliant Construction Entrance in Prince Edward Island
The province evaluates a construction entrance on whether it performs the required function, removing sediment from tires before vehicles reach the road, and the operator specifies the chosen practice in the erosion and sediment control plan. FODS Trackout Control Mats can be named directly in that plan as the site's stabilized construction entrance, satisfying the same purpose as the aggregate pad while removing the loose stone and the heavy maintenance the traditional design depends on. On an island where red-soil erosion into rivers and shellfish waters is a persistent problem, an entrance that reliably keeps sediment out of the storm system is a direct compliance advantage.
FODS Trackout Control System
The FODS Trackout Control System is a reusable, manufactured construction entrance made of high-density polyethylene mats with a pyramid-shaped surface that works like the rough edges of crushed stone. As vehicles pass, the pyramids deform the tires and open the tread so sediment breaks loose and collects in the voids between the pyramids, clear of the tires. Each mat measures about 3.7 metres by 2.1 metres, and the modular design lets contractors build the entrance to fit the site. On high-traffic projects the system has reduced street sweeping by 59 percent compared with aggregate.
The mats install over any substrate without excavation and can be relocated quickly as work advances, and because the system uses no loose stone there is nothing to lodge in dual tires or migrate onto active roadways. On the island's fine red soils, where a rock pad clogs quickly, the FODS surface keeps performing and is restored with a simple cleaning rather than fresh aggregate, using a skid steer broom, a powered sweeper, or a FODS shovel. With a service life of more than ten years, the same mats can be reused across projects, which shifts the cost of a construction entrance from a recurring expense to a one-time investment.
Risks of Vehicle Trackout on Roadways
Safety is a primary concern wherever construction traffic meets a public road. Aggregate exits deposit stone and debris onto pavement, creating hazards for drivers and workers, and loose rock can lodge between dual tires and be thrown at speed. Wheel washes add the burden of supplying and containing water. FODS uses a rockless, water-free technique to clean tires and does not carry the same risk of injury or liability as aggregate entrances. The mats are durable and reusable across many projects, which reduces the environmental impact tied to aggregate production, hauling, and disposal. On Prince Edward Island sites that drain to the island's rivers, the Northumberland Strait, or the Gulf of St. Lawrence, keeping stone and sediment off the road also helps keep it out of the water and out of fish habitat protected under the Fisheries Act.
Additional Resources
Prince Edward Island Environmental Protection Act
PEI Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action
PEI Watercourse, Wetland and Buffer Zone Activity Permit