Road work ahead of schedule

PARRY SOUND – Construction on two downtown streets is ahead of schedule, but the rebuild of the Bobby Orr Community Centre (BOCC) is far behind though it isn’t expected to affect the completion date.
Brian Sheridan, town director of operations, gave council an update on the street projects that includes the underground utility rehabilitation of James, Mary and Gibson streets.
“The project is moving along, in my opinion, considerably ahead of schedule,” Sheridan said Tuesday night. “I think the Mary section is approximately 65 per cent complete. The Gibson section is probably slightly more than 65 per cent complete. The James Street component is expected to start in the latter half of March or the beginning of April depending on when the weather breaks.”
Sheridan added that the plan is to have the major pipe work on Mary and Gibson streets done before the end of March. Currently, crews are working on underground pipes, water mains, sanitary/sewer mains and storm sewer mains.
James Street construction will start in the spring and finish sometime in June.
“It’s (the BOCC rebuild) behind schedule, but at this point, we have no reason to believe the completion date is in jeopardy,” Sheridan said. “It’s because (the contractor) scheduled (work) over a very long period of time, so missing early milestones has less impact on achieving the final completion date.”
Crews have completed about 42 per cent of the entire project, which is expected to be finished July 31.
“They’re doing some internal block work, ducting and wiring. They’re doing the roof and light hanging upstairs, and washroom and kitchen walls upstairs,” he said.
The $4.8 million construction project began in November 2009 and is expected to be complete early this summer.
Two thirds of the project is being paid for by upper level government grants.