FORT FRANCES—Motorists should take note that the traffic flow between the north and south ends of town will change starting May 22—the date that’s been set for the Portage Avenue underpass repair work to begin.
Operation and Facilities manager Doug Brown said Thursday morning that an open house is scheduled for Tuesday, May 15 at 7 p.m. at the Civic Centre to inform the public about details of the project.
He noted this isn’t a public meeting, just an open house where people can drop by and have any questions about the project answered.
The underpass job is scheduled to be complete by Oct. 6, but the contractor is prepared to work until the end of that month in case bad weather throws the project off schedule.
As previously reported, the project will mean some changes to traffic flow in that part of town.
Brown said there always will be one lane open along Portage Avenue during the construction, adding 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).
Traffic will be funneled up to Second Street or Sixth Street, and won’t be able to turn at Fifth or Third for the duration of the project.
Brown noted he’ll also be bringing a report to council to amend a bylaw to reduce the speed limit to 30 km/h in the construction zone.
The work will be done in two phases—the west side first, then the east side.
It will consist of replacing 180 metres of concrete from Third Street East to Fifth Street East, and putting in new retaining walls.
The sidewalk on the east side is being removed, and the road will be widened and deepened to accommodate large trucks.
The sidewalk on the west side is going to be widened so the town can get a sidewalk machine through it. Right now, it’s too narrow.
The work also will include modifications to the railway abutment structures, a new railing on the west sidewalk, 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.
JTJ Contracting Ltd. Inc. of Emo will be handling the job, with Hatch Energy providing contractor administration and construction inspection services.
Town council awarded these tenders back in January.
The $2.1 million project is being partially funded by a $1.06 million grant through the provincial Rural Infrastructure Investment Initiative, with the balance being financed through a “Move Ontario” grant of $883,409 and $56,591 from reserve funds.
< *c>Central Avenue
Meanwhile, another large project motorists will encounter here this summer is road reconstruction along Central Avenue between Church Street and First Street, as well as the 100 block of Scott Street.
Brown noted the town still has to award the tender for this job, but the work likely will start at the beginning of June.
Because Central Avenue will be closed between Church and First, bridge-bound traffic coming from the west will have to go down the 100 block of First Street East and then turn onto Mowat.
This means there will be no parking on the south side of First Street East from Central to Mowat, and no parking on the west side of Mowat from First to Church.
There also will be no parking on the north side of Church Street from Mowat to Central.
Brown said that, like the underpass job, the town will be holding an open house outlining the details of this project in the coming weeks.
The Central Avenue work is part one a two-phase project. Next summer, Central Avenue will be rebuilt from First Street north to a short distance past the intersection both to the west and north.
At this time, parking will be restricted along the south side of the 100 block of Scott Street, as well as the west side of Mowat between Scott and Church, and the north side of Church between Mowat and Central.
This $3 million project falls under the provincial “Connecting Link” program, which is 90 percent funded by the MTO.
(Fort Frances Daily Bulletin)
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
