FORT FRANCES—With the town poised to award the tender next Monday to reconstruct the Portage Avenue underpass, the project finally should get underway this spring.
But whether the town has to pay for it out of its own funds, or whether it can be done entirely through outside sources, remains the question.
During a meeting on the town’s 2007 budget Monday afternoon, council passed a bylaw to apply for 100 percent funding of the $2.1-million project under the provincial Rural Infrastructure Investment Initiative.
This matter previously was agreed upon Jan. 8, with council directing that the town apply for only 75 percent of the funding.
But after further consultation with a province official, management learned it wouldn’t hurt the town’s chances of getting funding if it asked for the province to pay for 100 percent of the project.
Fort Frances CAO Mark McCaig said he’s hopeful the town would be successful in getting the funding as he felt the initiative was “political,” and that with this particular initiative, the provincial government probably wants to help regions that don’t always get funding.
“This is an opportunity,” McCaig noted to council and management at Monday’s meeting. “We have a deteriorating infrastructure, and if we’re left to do this on our own dime, some other projects will be foregone.”
But he also stressed the town needs a “focused effort to elevate this application from the usual pile.”
Operations and Facilities manager Doug Brown said the town does have money in place that will be used for the underpass project if it does not get the $2.1 million it’s asking for.
This money includes $883,000 in “Ontario Move” funding and $540,000 in federal gas tax revenues.
But if the town does get the full 100 percent, this other money certainly would be used for other purposes, such as waste management, noted Brown.
In the case the town gets no funding or not enough, the town probably would have to utilize existing reserves (or borrowing for long-term debt) to fund the remainder of the project.
The tender for the underpass project went out in the fall, with council expected to award it at its next regular meeting Jan. 22.
Work likely will start in May.
Once underway, the work will be done in two phases—the west side first, then the east side—and will take about 16 weeks to complete.
It will consist of replacing 180 metres of concrete from Third Street East to Fifth Street East and putting in new retaining walls, as well as a new sidewalk and handrail on the west side of the street.
The work also will include modifications to the railway abutment structures (installation of soil anchors), putting up new chain link fences, and upgrading to the storm sewer system (pump house and piping).
The existing roadway also will be reinforced and modified, with a view towards having an alternate truck route to the north end sometime down the road.
One lane of traffic will be open at all times during the underpass work, and at no time should residents be forced to take alternate north-south routes (such as McIrvine Road or the emergency railroad crossing at Victoria Avenue).
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
