Underpass likely won’t get done this year

FORT FRANCES—Giving town council an update on ongoing summer construction projects here, Operations and Facilities manager Doug Brown said Monday night he doesn’t expect to see the Portage Avenue underpass being completed this year.
“I see the completion of the wall on the east side and the soil anchors, but I wouldn’t bet my life that I would see the road and everything done,” he told council.
“I see the sidewalk on the west side being addressed, but I don’t think we’ll see the whole project completed this year,” Brown added. “I think we’ll be in with the road bedding next year, and the pump house.”
That said, Brown said work has progressed much better in the past three weeks than in the first three weeks of the job.
All of the sheet piling on the southeast quadrant has been completed, and the new watermain has been put in the ground, pressure-tested, and was back online Monday.
Four houses in that area temporarily had been getting their water through a two-inch service line.
Meanwhile, crews have started to excavate behind the east retaining wall, and now can start to demolish it and the footing.
As of Monday, a dozen 40-foot sheets were installed at the northeast quadrant. If everything goes to plan, all the sheeting should be installed by Friday.
The public also can expect to see the installation of soil anchors and forming work for the new footing in the near future.
< *c>Water tower
Brown also noted that as of Monday, crews (three men working 12 hours a day, seven days a week) have gotten 39 days in working on the water tower.
But he added the crews lost four-and-a-half days of work due to the weather since they can’t work when there’s lightning, with the site inspector estimating the project’s about 10 days behind schedule.
Brown stressed the town has written to the contractor, telling them to get more manpower on the job. There also will be a meeting between the consultant and contractor next week to find a way to achieve the Aug. 1 completion date.
The interior of the tower is basically done as of this week, and the public should notice a lot of progress on the cleaning and painting of the exterior starting Saturday.
With the water restriction in place, there has been no problems with maintaining an adequate water reserve, noted Coun. Rick Wiedenhoeft, adding that while the weather certainly has helped in this regard, the public also has been co-operative in abiding by the ban.
< *c>Central Avenue
Meanwhile, Brown said the work at Central Avenue is moving along according to schedule, with the second stage of Phase Two now 95 percent complete and the third stage nearly ready to begin.
With 30 metres of watermain already installed, work is moving northward through the intersection at Second Street East.
The job is scheduled to be done by mid-September, but may be completed even earlier than that, Brown noted.
< *c>Other projects
Brown also said the replacement of the roof at the water treatment plant here is moving along well.
The granular materials are down, the roof membrane had been installed as of July 8, and two people on site are installing perimeter flashing.
And work is 95 percent complete at the new recycling building on Fifth Street.
The concrete slab has been poured, the roof has been installed, the walls are up, the overdoor has been installed, and the first recycling load to be housed there will be dumped off Thursday.
As previously reported, the town received a $10,000 grant to help pay for this structure.
(Fort Frances Times)