Residents should take note that the traffic flow between the north and south ends of town will change starting next Tuesday (May 22) once the Portage Avenue underpass repair work begins.
Details of the $2.1-million project, which is expected to be completed in October, were explained to the public yesterday evening during an open house at the Civic Centre.
The section of Portage Avenue between Third Street East and Fifth Street East will be reduced to one lane of traffic for the duration of the project.
Temporary traffic lights will be installed on each side of the underpass (similar to a highway bridge rehabilitation project).
Traffic will be funnelled up to Second Street East or Sixth Street, and won’t be able to turn onto or off of Portage Avenue at Third or Fifth during the project.
The town is recommending drivers avoid using this section of Portage Avenue and instead take McIrvine Road as an alternate north-south route.
As well, at Monday’s night regular meeting, council amended the traffic control bylaw to reduce the speed limit to 20 km/h in the construction zone.
This came into effect yesterday (May 15) and will remain so until Oct. 31.
The reconstruction 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 west side is going to be widened so the town can get a sidewalk machine through it. Right now, it’s too narrow.
The sidewalk on the east side is being removed, and the road will be widened and deepened to accommodate large trucks.
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 underpass job is scheduled to be completed 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.
The 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 town reserve funds.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
