Staff
Road construction season is upon us, with the major project here this year now underway.
Beginning yesterday, Victoria Avenue from Front Street to Nelson Street, as well as Nelson Street from Victoria Avenue to 50m west of Portage Avenue, are closed to vehicular access to facilitate construction, which is being done by Bay City Contracting and overseen by Engineering Northwest.
Portage Avenue from Nelson Street to First Street East will be closed starting Tuesday, June 30.
Road detour signs will be posted directing vehicle and truck traffic around the construction site.
Access to the emergency entrance at La Verendrye Hospital either will be from Front Street or Sinclair Street, as posted.
The work is expected to end by Sept. 18—a 20-week period.
It will include the reconstruction of Victoria Avenue from Front Street to the Nelson Street intersection, Nelson Street from Victoria Avenue to Veterans Avenue, and Portage Avenue from Nelson Street to just south of the First Street East intersection (by the Voyageur Motel).
This work involves the reconstruction of 902 metres of roadway, the installation of asphalt, and granular “A” and “B,” 1,550 metres of new concrete curb and gutter, and the installation of 31 new catch basins and manholes, complete with two feet of sump.
It also entails 467 metres of storm sewer piping, 189 metres of catch basin leads, replacing 906 metres of cast iron watermain with PVC piping, removing and replacing 16 water valves, removing and replacing one new fire hydrant, removing and replacing 20 water service lines, replacing 794 metres of sewer lines with PVC piping, installing one new sanitary manhole, 21 new sanitary sewer lines, closed-circuit TV inspections of the new storm sewer piping and sanitary sewer lines, and new line painting.
This year’s work also will include the installation or replacement of 575 sq. metres of sidewalk (the elimination of the sidewalk on the south side of Nelson Street and its relocation to the north side), and adjusting the southwest turning radius at the intersection of Victoria and Nelson to accommodate transport trucks.
It also will entail the construction of a new 58-space municipal parking lot on Nelson Street, with a perimeter curb, asphalt, a storm sewer system, and lighting. This will be usable by the public.
At the same time, parking will be greatly reduced on Victoria Avenue between Nelson and Sinclair, and eliminated on Nelson between Portage and Victoria.
The biomass roads project actually is a two-year job.
This second phase, scheduled to go another 20 weeks from May 3-Sept. 17, 2010, will include the reconstruction of Portage Avenue from First Street East to Third Street East, and Fifth Street to Sixth Street.
Second-phase work entails the reconstruction of 451 metres of roadway, the installation of asphalt, and granular “A” and “B,” 855 metres of new concrete curb and gutter, and the installation of 27 new catch basins and manholes complete with two feet of sump.
It also incudes the installation of 200 metres of storm sewer piping, 260 metres of catch basin leads, replacing 445 metres of cast iron watermain wit PVC piping, removing and replacing 13 water valves, removing and replacing four new fire hydrants, removing and replacing 24 water service lines, closed-circuit TV inspections of the new storm sewer piping and sanitary sewer lines, and new line painting.
Phase two also includes the replacement of 140 sq. metres of concrete sidewalk, and the proposed elimination of concrete sidewalk on the east side of Portage Avenue from Second Street East to Third Street East, and Fifth to Sixth.
The proposed removal of sidewalks was a point of contention at a public meeting last Wednesday evening at the Civic Centre, at which time some north-end residents questioned the wisdom of getting rid of sidewalks they had just finished paying for.
They also felt a sidewalk would eliminate pedestrian access to their side of the avenue. And by forcing pedestrians to cross the busy street to use the west sidewalk, it would be a serious safety issue.
Several other residents stressed town council should not remove the sidewalk at the expense of the safety of residents, as well as those who have to deliver mail and newspapers to homes, especially when the town has been designated a “safe community” by the World Health Organization.
Fort Frances CAO Mark McCaig said the input provided by the public last Wednesday will be taken into consideration, particularly regarding the proposed removal of sidewalks, which will not happen until 2010 (if at all).
The tender for the two-year project still can be modified to take out the sidewalk removal job.
