THUNDER BAY – Planned upgrades to Balmoral Street will cost 67 per cent more than what the city originally budgeted.
A report will go before city council on Monday night, outlining that the first stage of the project between the Neebing-McIntyre Floodway and Alloy Drive will cost $6.9 million, which is $2.7 million more than the original estimate.
Project engineer Mike Vogrig said this year’s phase will be condensed to do work between the Floodway and Hewitson Street in order to keep the project within the scope it was originally designed.
“What we’re doing is shortening this stage of it before the Harbour Expressway intersection and then future stages will incorporate the remaining work and cross sections and information we got from the public consultations will be staying true throughout the project,” he said on Thursday.
“For us to start taking that away and scaling it back just in order to do a few hundred metres of road, we thought that wasn’t a good solution. In this sense, we’re still looking at a two to three year timeline to complete it all but we have a shorter stage now.”
The multi-phase project, which is to span from the Floodway to Beverly Street, involves road repaving, filling in ditches along the side of the road and adding storm sewers, construction of asphalt multi-use trails for active transportation, new curb and gutter work and reconstructing the intersection at Harbour Expressway.
The first phase was previously expected to cost $4.2 million, with $2 million of that coming from the provincial government’s Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund.
The most significant cause of the increased cost is the need to twin storm sewer pipes, as the original plan featured a single pipe system. Flat grades and coverage requirements for the mains over the pipes were found to be problematic.
It became apparent during the detailed design there is no other option but to twin the storm sewer pipes, which is leading to an added $2 million.
“With the volume of storm runoff we have to handle we ended up having to twin the pipe. Basically, what we’re going to be looking at is a pipe at the base of each existing ditch in order to manage that storm water flow,” Vogrig said.
The other $700,000 includes installing retaining walls in narrow right of way sections, additional trees, multi-use trails on both sides of the road, signage, accessibility requirements and adding artificial turf in certain areas along the curb.
Coun. Frank Pullia, who is also the budget chair, is looking at how to spread those costs so there isn’t a sudden impact.
“Instead of doing three stages maybe do it in four stages or maybe in stage two or three there may be an opportunity to find savings. It’s hard to say right now,” Pullia said.
“We want to know a little more to try to do a little pre-planning and to stay on budget. These kind of things don’t help. Obviously it’s a bit frustrating but there are good, solid reasons.”
The project remains more important than just repaving the road.
“Balmoral is really becoming a north-south corridor,” Pullia said, adding the project also includes significant components such as adding the trails and beautifying the area. “No doubt, we want to do this right. We want the road to last.”
The tender on the first phase of the project closes next week. Vogrig said that phase is expected to be completed during the 2016 construction season.
The remaining phases will be examined in future budget seasons.
