Written by MARK NIELSEN
Citizen staff
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Tuesday, 02 December 2008 |
The new Cameron Street Bridge won't be ready for traffic until at least the end of June and will cost more than the original contract price, city operations superintendent Bill Gaal confirmed Tuesday at the new city council's first regular meeting.
The news drew dismay from Coun. Brian Skakun, who had expected a mid-February completion date, noting the original contract to revamp the crossing called for it to be completed by the end of this year.
Asked by Skakun if there will be cost overruns, Gaal said: "In any contract, there will be extras and there will be extras in this. That is yet to be determined but it will be in a moderate range not in an excessive range."
Asked what moderate might be, Gaal said it would be difficult to say.
"I know we're going to go through another winter it looks like of people going down Fifth Avenue, logging trucks going down Fifth Avenue, and we've just been extremely lucky so far (there's been no major accident)," Skakun said. "I'm just concerned we're paying a lot of money for this project and it's not on time."
Although it's the first time the delay has been discussed in council chambers, previous Mayor Colin Kinsley had concede a few months ago in interviews with the media that the project likely would not be ready until next spring largely because of a delay in getting the project started.
Trouble meeting environmental and funding requirements have been cited as the causes.
Prince George-based IDL Projects Inc. was awarded a $9.1-million contract to carry out the project, which will included putting a new, two-lane superstructure over the existing piers as well as installing a roundabout on the north end, while a lighted intersection will remain at the south end because of land constraints and difficult gradients.
In all, $9.9 million has been budgeted, once design and contingency costs are included. In addition to $2 million combined from the federal and provincial government, the city will borrow $6 million while the remaining costs will be covered through various reserve funds.
Gaal said the city and IDL are currently going through a dispute resolution process over the delay which may ultimately go to a third-party abritrator if the sides fail to reach an agreement. He said a possible remedy may be to change the completion date set out in the contract.
"And that contract completion date has ramifications because if it's not met penalties come into effect," he added.
Concern by other councillors were raised about the quality of PG Pulpmill Road where the work is being carried out.
"I drove over it this weekend and have to admit that my vehicle went very slowly and it still felt the pains," Coun. Cameron Stolz said.
Gaal said the road is supposed to be maintained to the city's standards for gravel roads and if the contractor fails to live up to those standards, city crews will do the work and the costs will be charged back to the project.
Rainfall has made that troublesome, he added.
"It's difficult to maintain that road when it's raining," Gaal said. "Since we've notified them of our intention (to send in a city crew), I believe the standard has improved. For instance, on Monday, they got onto it as soon as the rain stopped and it was up to a passable standard very quickly."
City staff check the road daily, he added.
But that was not enough to appease Coun. Murry Krause.
"As somebody who probably travels that road at least twice a day, I have to echo what Coun. Stolz just indicated," he said. "For all the workers who work down that way, there's been times when it's been much more than just caused by rain.
"There's been huge ridges so that you have to watch the undercarriage of your vehicle and I think it's affecting people driving to and from work and the residents the live in the area...it's a growing issue and we're going to have to find a way to work with that contractor or take it on ourselves to resolve it."
The new crossing is expected to handle 14,000 vehicles per day once it's open, compared to 8,000 when the bridge was closed in September 2005 because of safety concerns and rising maintenance costs.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 02 December 2008 )
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