Winnipeg construction season won’t end until mid-November, city says – Winnipeg
Choke ends, excavators and latent impatience behind the wheel: the construction season for Winnipeg’s more than 200 projects isn’t slowing down any time soon.
“We haven’t had any notable weather delays this year, so things are moving full steam ahead until the freeze,” Ken Allen of the city’s public works department said Wednesday.
And that will be around mid-November, he said.
Eighty-seven percent of all city-contracted roadworks are expected to be completed by the end of the season, including major regional roads like Jubilee Avenue from Osborne to Pembina and Stafford Street from Corydon to Pembina, according to a municipal report obtained by PKBNEWS. .
Regional streets have priority over local streets, dozens of which have yet to be opened. Some of them may be postponed until next season, while others will be completed before the snow falls.
Despite labor shortages, companies are biting off more than they can chew, Chris Lorenc of the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association told PKBNEWS on Wednesday.
“Sometimes when you see a project and there’s no one there, it’s because we’re waiting for locations, or we’re waiting for utilities to be moved, or we’re waiting for the concrete to harden, so that It’s not like we’re abandoning the project. construction sites,” Lorenc said.
“Every company knows at the time they respond to a bidding opportunity, what work they have, what work they expect to get, whether or not the particular project they are bidding on will happen. way,” he said. “It’s a matter of constant risk management…and overall we get the job done on time and on budget.”
The city imposes daily fines ranging from $1,500 to $5,000 when projects are not completed on time, the councilor said. Janice Lukes said.
While Winnipeg’s construction choices may not please everyone, Lukes, who chairs the city’s public works committee, told PKBNEWS this season’s record $159 million would be better spent this year, before inflation eats into their budget.
“It’s frustrating, but I’m confident the city is doing its best.” I would like to see better communication and very strict deadlines,” Lukes said.
“We’ve had significant delays with (Manitoba Hydro) showing up, that’s for sure, and then the contractors who opened the trenches have to go back and close them when the work is done. I would like to see a slightly stricter window.
On the positive side, roads like Jubilee Avenue should be in good condition for decades to come, Allen said.
In the meantime, he asks drivers to allow themselves extra time, plan alternative routes and respect the highway code.
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