A long-awaited construction project near River Canard is finally coming to fruition.
Town council has approved a tender valued at over $3.6 million plus HST from Piera Con Enterprises Inc. to reconstruct Concession 2 North between County Road 10 (Middle Side Road) and South Riverview Dr.
According to a report from manager of engineering Todd Hewitt, funding of the project will see $125,000 come from the lifecycle reserve, $2,113,005 from the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund (OCIF) grant, $1,673,970 from the general reserve and $15,000 from gas tax funding.
Hewitt stated in his report that Concession 2 North was classified as a “now” project in the 2021 Roads Needs Study “and was the highest ranked rural road in the study other than the 8th Concession North which has had construction delayed pending the conclusion of the McGregor Lagoons / Howard Industrial Servicing EA.”
“If not rehabilitated, the road will continue to deteriorate,” Hewitt added. “Not awarding this tender would delay the replacement and improvements to the road condition and could expose the Town to increased cost with respect to inflation and further maintenance on the road.”
Deputy Mayor Chris Gibb wanted to know if that included bike lanes on each side of the road and was told there would be paved shoulders for active transportation. The project is likely to begin by late winter or early spring. Completion was estimated by the end of the summer.
“I just want to say how excited I am we are approving this project tonight,” Councillor Don McArthur said during the Jan. 29 meeting of town council. “In terms of active transportation in Amherstburg, this is really going to fix a dangerous, gaping hole.”McArthur said there is no way for a cyclist or walker to get from LaSalle or River Canard to Amherstburg. He said the new project will connect to Thomas Road, which connects to other parts of Amherstburg.
“This is going to open up a lot of doors for Amherstburg in terms of economic development and tourism,” said McArthur. “More importantly, it’s going to keep residents safe and bring residents of this big, big town closer together. I’m really excited this project is moving forward.”
By Ron Giofu
Tender approved for Concession 2 North reconstruction
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