THUNDER BAY – Work on the High Street retaining wall could begin as early as next week, provided council approves the awarding of the project’s contract at their upcoming meeting.
Council on Monday will vote on whether to award the contract to Manshield Construction, which came in with the lowest tender at $2.1 million.
City project engineer Mike Vogrig said a “total rebuild” will be done on the wall, which dates back to around the Second World War.
“There were issues in terms of accessibility with the wall and drainage behind the wall,” Vogrig said on Thursday. “With rebuilding the structure we’re able to address all of those things at once.”
The new wall will have a new set of stairs and an accessible ramp, Vogrig added.
Administration has sounded the alarm on the safety of the structure, which was originally supposed to be addressed last year but was ultimately deferred during the budget process.
This year, city director of engineering and operations Kayla Dixon warned council there was no time to lose.
"Engineering is recommending -- and really, not just recommending. We need to fix this structure this year," Dixon said in February during budget deliberations.
Debate about how to repair the structure raged as a vocal number of community members wanted to see the existing rubble rock wall repaired and rehabilitated. The issue was finally settled in March when council voted in favour of a brand new concrete structure with pre-cast panel facing.
The project will also narrow the section of Cornwall Avenue at the top of wall, requiring its conversion to a one-way road.
High Street from John Street to Red River Road will be closed to through traffic during the construction, which Vogrig said is expected to take until the end of October to complete. The roadway will also be repaved and there will be some curb replacement. Local access will be provided for High Street residents throughout construction.
