Extra $70,000 to fix sewage problem at Huron Terrace bridge project
By Liz Dadson
 

Kincardine Town Council

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Heavy equipment is used to remove pieces of the Huron Terrace bridge as it is torn down to make way for a new bridge

The north end of the Huron Terrace bridge is already gone

A pedestrian walkway has been installed east of the bridge

A crane moves steel along the west side of the bridge

Work on the Huron Terrace bridge in Kincardine has increased by another $70,000.

Public works manager Jim O'Rourke told Kincardine council Wednesday night (June 10) that there is a problem with a sanitary sewer forcemain located on the construction site. "Due to its location and the close proximity of construction activities, there are concerns that the forcemain pipe could rupture at any time," he said. "The resulting spill of raw sewage to the environment, given the duration of the event and the quantity of sewage involved, would be nothing short of a disaster."

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12/06/2009 12:13 AM

O'Rourke said the work is tentatively scheduled for next week and the cost is estimated at $70,000. That cost could be split between the municipality (40%) and Bruce County (60%), based on negotiations with the municipal and county engineers.

"How much is the engineering firm putting toward this mistake?" asked councillor Randy Roppel. "This project is going to end up as a nightmare."

O'Rourke said there is a contingency fund of $100,000 which will cover this cost, and that's a lot better than having 200,000 gallons of raw sewage spill into the environment. "Things come up in a project that you don't see in advance," said councillor Ron Hewitt.

O'Rourke said the current forcemain is 60 years old so new pipes would have been installed eventually anyway. Council approved the work.

The bridge was closed in May for construction of the new $4-million structure, through a joint project between Kincardine and the county. The project came in over-budget by $264,000 for Kincardine's portion when it was announced in April. The municipality is paying 40 per cent of the overall road and bridge work plus 100 per cent of the cost for sanitary sewer and watermain work. The original budget for Kincardine was $1.276 million, while the actual figure is $1.54 million.