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Tender awarded to correct Mono road wash-out

August 11, 2022   ·   0 Comments

By JAMES MATTHEWS, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Culvert repairs on a well-used Mono thoroughfare will be completed this fall.

Culverts on 3^rd Line EHS in Mono were washed out in early July. During a special meeting Tuesday, town council OK’d Cox Construction Ltd. to do the necessary repairs to the road.

R.J. Burnside and Associates Ltd was retained by the town to handle the bidding process and to evaluate the contractors’ offers. As many as 16 tender documents were requested by potential bidders on the job. Six bids were submitted.

Cox Construction can get the work done for $177,169.04. Theirs was the lowest bid. The highest quote was for $334,383.

Burnside’s preliminary cost estimate based on tendering the culvert replacements as separate projects was $275,299.08. Based on combining the tenders, the town was able to receive more competitive bids with the low bid from Cox Construction being about 36 per cent lower than the preliminary cost estimate.

To cover the cost of the work, council voted to earmark $159,546 from its Road Reserves purse.

“Numbers differ because of the HST rebate, so we get some of that back from (Canada Revenue Agency),” said Les Halucha, the town’s treasurer.

The municipal budget will be officially amended with an allotment for the work at the next council meeting later this month.

Michael Dunmore, the town’s Public Works director and roads superintendent, said a number of culverts along 3^rd Line EHS south of County Road 8 (Mono Centre Road) had “catastrophic” failures during a washout July 1.

He said Public Works is pleased with the results of the tender process and the anticipated three-week project will “ensure the road is open for the winter.”

It’s expected the work will take about 15 days to complete.

Deputy Mayor Fred Nix was concerned the work wouldn’t be finished before the expected Sept. 30 completion. The Bruce Trail encompasses the affected area and hunting season is to begin Oct. 1, he said.

“There’s very little room for error in this,” Nix said.

Dunmore said there are hunting lands throughout Mono, but town staff will work with the contractors to ensure the trail can be opened on weekends, if necessary, to accommodate recreational pursuits.

“I think we can get around it if we had to,” said Dunmore.

Councillor Melinda Davie said the road work schedule should take precedence over temporary recreation use.

“The road has been closed a long time,” Davie said. “It’s inconvenient for residents.”

Indeed, 3^rd Line EHS is a Class 6 thoroughfare. That means between 50 and 200 vehicles pass over it daily. While it’s likely closer to the lower end right now, traffic increases to peak volume during the fall, Dunmore said.

Councillor Sharon Martin agreed.

“Let’s get this road done and fixed,” Martin said.

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