The Miller Group will be paving shoulders along Highway 11. The project consists of three main sectors — 17 km from Fort Frances to Devlin, 26 km from Barwick to Pinewood, and 26 km from Highway 502 to Couchiching First Nation.
The main scope of the work is to remove the existing edge of pavement along with some of the existing gravel. The shoulders will then be reshaped and compacted with new granular material and then paved.
Existing guide rails will be adjusted or replaced in accordance with the new shoulder widths and elevations.
The project is scheduled to complete by the end of September, Miller Group communications manager Denise Riposati told the Times in an email. She says the project began two weeks ago with drilling, blasting, and environmental-protection installations.
Riposati says the travelling public can expect some minor delays, however she says Miller is mindful of scheduling operations to minimize delays during regular holidays and local community events.
“The Ministry of Transportation establishes guidelines for how long traffic can be stopped, how many separate operations we can have, and how long each work zone can be. The interruptions would be minimal at this time as we have not begun any major rehabilitation items,” says Riposati. “We would see increased delays as the project progresses and with the corresponding traffic increase we usually see with the conclusion of the school year. That said, Miller will work to ensure we continue to meet the guidelines established by the Ministry of Transportation.”
The overhead wire signs along the highway are a visual aid to alert drivers and equipment operators that there are wires overhead so they don’t raise attachments that could then contact the wire and possibly damage it or endanger themselves and other workers.
The quarry for the project is just east of Emo. The “pit entrance” sign there identifies the entrance.
