A section of road known to local drivers — and the City of North Bay — to get treacherous at times in wet and wintry conditions will move one step closer to reconstruction with the approval of North Bay City Council.
The proposed project would "address the significant icing issues that develop...during the winter and spring as a result of the poor drainage in the area," on the 1.6-kilometre stretch of Trout Lake Road in question, between Mountainview Drive and Lees Road, according to a City of North Bay staff report. Also included is the addition of bike lanes on either side of that same segment of Trout Lake Road to "facilitate safe active transportation objectives through this corridor."
The roadway between Mountainview Drive and Lees Road is bordered by the shoreline of Trout Lake in places, and the base of the escarpment on the other. The road follows the natural geography, creating a blind curve nearer to Lees Road.
The staff recommendation is for Council to award a $175,000 contract to Tatham Engineering Limited for the design of the Trout Lake Road rehabilitation project. If Council were to decline to award the contract, the staff report states, the City of North Bay could stand to lose all funding from the Connecting Links Program for the next phase of the project. The overall project is pegged at $3.5 million and began with the rehabilitation of the section of Trout Lake Road containing the railway overpass between Giroux Street and Mountainview Drive in 2017 and was completed in 2018.
See original story: City gets money for road repairs
The report identifies the design proposal from Tatham Engineering Limited as having scored the highest among five submissions in an evaluation taking into account experience, qualifications, response to the scope of work, and price. The Tatham bid is deemed to provide the "best overall value to the City," and is "considered fair and reasonable."
The City applied for —and was granted — funding to cover 90 per cent of the contracted design and engineering costs poised to be awarded to Tatham and the balance would be covered through the City's 2021 capital budget. Of the overall $3.5 million cost of the project, the staff report indicates "the City will receive up to $3 million to cover eligible expenses."
A requirement of the 2020-21 MTO Connecting Links Agreement is the first contract must be awarded before the end of this month.
"Failure to meet this condition may cause us to be in default of the contract which may lead to termination of the agreement and loss of all funds for the project. Not completing the rehabilitation will see the continued deterioration of the identified roadway that will result in greater costs in the future," reads the report.
If approved, Tatham's design is expected to be completed in time to put the construction work out to tender in late 2021 or early 2022.
North Bay City Council will meet for both committee and regular meetings Tuesday, beginning at 6:30 p.m.
