Advertisement 1

Delhi street repair is $743,000 over budget

Article content

Nothing about the road reconstruction in downtown Delhi is proving to be easy.

Advertisement 2
Story continues below
Article content

Residents, businesses and motorists were inconvenienced in 2019 and 2020 by the rebuild of King Street in the core – a project that was expected to last one construction season but expanded into two.

Now comes word that the low bid to reconstruct 600 metres of James Street south of Church Street came in $743,000 higher than estimated.

Article content

On April 13, Norfolk council agreed to cover the extra expense to the tune of $3.17 million. The fact the work will be even more expensive in the future, if deferred, proved decisive.

“We owe it to the people of Delhi for putting up with the aggravation of getting the other part of the road (King Street) done,” said Charlotteville Coun. Chris VanPaassen.

In a report to council, public works cited several reasons for absorbing the added cost.

Advertisement 3
Story continues below
Article content

Engineering director Mike King said inflationary pressure for major construction is marching forward at a rate of four to eight percent a year. As well, the province has contributed $1.33 million to the project – money that must be spent by the end of 2021.

Delhi Coun. Mike Columbus said the county cannot, in good conscience, defer the work. This four-lane stretch of Highway 3, he said, carries 13,000 vehicles on a busy day.

“It is under considerable deterioration, and I get a lot of complaints about it,” Columbus said.

Highway 3 turns into James Street on the south side of Delhi. At Church Street, James turns into King Street as the road angles to the west through the downtown.

CAO Jason Burgess told council that unexpected savings from the ongoing rebuild of Nelson Street West in Port Dover plus savings from the 2020 road resurfacing  budget will cover some of the cost overrun on James Street.

Advertisement 4
Story continues below
Article content

Even when James Street from Church Street to Argyle Avenue is rebuilt, there will be major upgrades left to do on this section of highway.

The intersection of James-King and Church Street was supposed to be part of the reconstruction. Staff, however, have singled out the intersection as a distinct project requiring public consultation.

“The configuration of this intersection is unique,” King said in his report. “The traffic infrastructure is outdated and does not conform with current standards. The complexity of this intersection warrants a targeted study.”

As well, the main storm-water drainage pipe serving the east side of Delhi runs north along James Street from Argyle Avenue. The drain continues down Swimming Pool Road and empties in the countryside near Delhi’s urban boundary to the north.

King says this drain is old, deteriorating and needs to be replaced. He sees the drain repaired and the Church Street intersection reconfigured as a single project sometime within the next decade.

Sierra Construction of Woodstock submitted the low bid for repairs to James Street. The project includes $16,000 to level the former railway crossing immediately south of Argyle Avenue – a bane of motorists passing through Delhi for decades.

Columbus said the crossing has served for years as an informal speed bump.

“Truckers have lost loads on that, it is so rough,” he said.

Article content
Comments
You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.
Join the Conversation

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.

Latest National Stories
    News Near Tillsonburg
      This Week in Flyers