It’s summer time and that means road works!
Every year the City has some road works projects and while it doesn’t sound too exciting, spending funds for paving really does ensure our City transportation network is well maintained. At our April 10th 2017 Regular meeting, Council reviewed the annual paving budget and after careful consideration, decided in favour of staff’s recommendation to award the contract to Okanagan Aggregates Ltd for $882,000 plus applicable taxes.
Okanagan Aggregates Ltd. Is a well-known company that has completed several major asphalt overlay road projects in previous years for the City of Salmon Arm as well as for the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.
For your information and to be prepared, the following are the 2017 proposed paving locations:
• 12 Avenue SE from 10 Street SE to 15 Street SE;
• 20 Avenue NE from 30 Street NE to the TCH;
• Lakeshore Road NE from 26 Avenue NE to 30 Avenue NE;
• Lakeshore Road NE from 4881 Lakeshore NE to 54 Avenue NE;
• Lakeshore Drive NE from Marine Park to 10 Avenue NE;
• 20 Avenue NE from the TCH to 5651 - 20 Ave NE;
• 27 Street NE from 1 Avenue NE to 5 Avenue NE
• 1 Avenue NE from 25 Street NE to 27 Street NE;
• 25 Street NE from Okanagan Avenue to 1 Avenue NE;
• 10 Ave and 60 St NE from intersection to intersection
The annual paving program includes the supply and placing asphaltic concrete pavement, the tack coat for asphalt overlays, and the required asphalt milling and asphalt pulverizing. In previous years, this contract included asphalt patching; however, this year a separate asphalt patching contract has been awarded resulting in easier scheduling as well as cost savings.
Budget allocation for the 2017 Paving Program is set at $920,000 – included is funding for the engineering consultant, material testing, construction and contingency as well as costs associated with the overlay budgets including road base preparation, layout and required drainage improvements, etc.
This year there has been the unexpected road works that the city must deal with in the aftermath of the sudden flooding that impacted five areas: Foothills Road, 42nd Street NW, 50th Street NE, the 6000 block of Okanagan Avenue SE and 10th Avenue SE. The response and recovery cost for these locations is estimated to be $365,000, and while there will likely be some funding relief from the province, the actual amount and timing is still uncertain.
In closing, be prepared for the paving crews to come to the proposed paving locations listed this summer as well as look out for the recovery work to be done in the areas that have been flooded.
-Nancy Cooper is the mayor of the City of Salmon Arm.