THUNDER BAY - As construction season begins to wind down, one major project is nearing completion while another will likely take a little longer.
Work on Balmoral Street continues, with the section between Central Avenue and Alloy Drive expected to open to at least two lanes of traffic either Monday or Tuesday.
The four lanes have been closed to traffic since June, when work began as part of a $7.2-million project to rebuild a section of Balmoral Street.
The project also includes multi-use trails on both sides of the street.
City of Thunder Bay project engineer Mike Vogrig said the project has been moving along nicely, with pavement laid down, AstroTurf to be added, and portions of the multi-use trail to be paved.
And while one section of the busy roadway will be opening soon, a second section will be closing to allow for reconstruction.
On Tuesday, Balmoral Street between Jasper Drive and Beverly Street will be closed to allow for stripping and paving.
The work was originally scheduled to be completed by the end of October, and Vogrig says they are on track to meet that goal.
“The weather could always affect things,” he said. “It looks like right now in terms of the schedule we originally laid out, we are on track. We had a couple delays around the Central and Balmoral intersection, we had to do some more work than expected with the traffic signals. But we should be able to meet our goals. It looks like everything is going well.”
Meanwhile, on the city’s north side, a section of River Street remains closed following the collapse of a culvert in May 2022, and will likely remain closed for several more months.
According to Vogrig, utilities under the street are being located and work on replacing the culvert will begin in a week or two.
Inspections after the collapse revealed repairs would be more complicated than originally anticipated. The city estimated the repair costs to be between $1.6 and $2.5 million.
Vogrig said there are two large culverts that need to be fully replaced and they are situated quite deep into the ground. A diversion channel must also be put in, as well as a new steel arch.
Whether the project is completed before winter will largely depend on the weather conditions.
“We are at the mercy of Mother Nature,” Vogrig said. “You can’t pack the materials if the ground is frozen. If we get some really good weather going into November and December, we might get lucky to bring it back up to road grade.”
