King’s Highway to undergo construction

Construction on King’s Highway, including new curbs, increased lane width, and new storm sewers, is set to begin on Aug. 16, after the Town of Fort Frances awarded the tender at a special council meeting yesterday afternoon.
The Connecting Link Project will stretch along the highway from 150 metres west of McIrvine Road to Keating Avenue.
Operations and Facilities manager Doug Brown said the town hopes to get a large portion of the work done before the winter freeze-up.
On the list of repairs is the laying of a binder coarse of asphalt, the reconstruction of 625 metres of the highway on the curved portion near McDonalds, a new curb and gutter, and new driveway entrance approaches.
The curbs at the intersection of King’s Highway and McIrvine Road will be adjusted to make turns easier. Brown noted the changes are being linked with the Canadian Tire development to alleviate congestion in that area.
The lane width on the highway will be increased to 3.5 metres.
“The lane width is substandard now,” Brown noted.
As a result, street and traffic lights will be relocated, but sidewalks will remain intact.
The town will also replace any trees that are removed due to the construction work.
Also on the schedule is the installation of 478 metres of new storm sewer piping with catch basins.
“Right now, the storm sewers are too high and are freezing in the winter,” Brown noted. They will be moved to an appropriate depth to prevent freezing in future.
The town will also put in 560 metres of new water main, and will fill in the south side drainage ditch near North American Lumber.
The work will be extensive, and will cause some traffic delays.
“It is going to be inconvenient. We’re asking people to be patient,” Brown noted. Traffic may need to be reduced to one lane in each direction, and at times, may need to be rerouted entirely.
Brown said the town would be hand delivering notices to businesses along that stretch of highway to inform them of the work being planned. A public meeting is also scheduled for next Thursday, Aug. 12 at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers. All members of the public are invited to come to learn more about the construction plans.
While construction is set to begin Aug. 16, completion will depend largely on the weather.
“It depends on the fall,” Brown explained. “If we get poor weather, we’ll shut the job down and start up again in the spring.”
But the laying of asphalt is the first priority. “There won’t be any open gravel on that road [through the winter,]” he vowed.
Council noted it may also be necessary to reroute traffic waiting to cross the bridge to International Falls, should the lines stretch beyond Keating Avenue.
The Ministry of Transportation informed the town on June 20 that it would receive $1,236,000 in funding for the Connecting Link project. The town must contribute 10 percent, or $123,600.
The town advertised for a tender call the week of July 5, with the tender closing on July 29.
Bay City Co. Ltd. won the tender with a bid of $1,577,981.70 for the work scheduled for 2004.
The company’s total bid was $2,245,564.43, which includes further work planned for the spring of 2005, including more work on King’s Highway from Keating Avenue to Wright Avenue.
The plans include widening the lanes to 3.5 metres, installing a new curb and gutter, 174 metres of storm sewer piping with catch basins, 431 metres of water main with new services to the property line, and new driveway entrance approaches.
This work is contingent upon further funding from the MTO.
The town’s 2004 budget did not include a budget allocation for the 10 percent portion of $123,600. As a result, the town will take the 10 percent, as well as funds for non-subsidizable items, from the waterworks project reserve funds. That adjustment will take place at year end.
Also, the cost for replacing the water main is 100 percent funded by the town, and is estimated at $317,419.13 (without GST) for 2004.
According to Brown’s report to council dated July 30, approximately $261,700 of that can be funded through the existing 2004 water capital fund, while approximately $55,791.13 will have to be taken from the water reserve funds.