THUNDER BAY — It looks as if repairs to the pedestrian overpass to Marina Park will be completed without the need for any further budget increases.
The project has already incurred an additional $500,000 in costs because of unexpectedly pervasive corrosion to the bridge's steel components.
The crossing over Water Street was removed in August 2020 and was originally scheduled to be back in place before last winter.
However once it was taken down, it was discovered that the original $1.3 million budget for the work fell half a million dollars short of what was needed.
City council reluctantly approved the additional expenditure.
"You said the consulting engineer uses best practices to give us the scope of work, and he misses 33 per cent of the work? It doesn't sound like best practices to me," said Coun. Andrew Foulds in response to a presentation from city staff.
After receiving legal advice about the matter, council ultimately voted to approve the budget increase.
In an interview Monday, city project engineer Mike Vogrig said "We are still within that budget envelope. Nothing else has popped up."
He said the repairs to the steel are complete, and the contractor is in the process of completing the application of three protective coatings that inhibit steel corrosion.
Workers are also installing the steel decking that forms the base for a concrete deck.
"I believe the schedule is to lift that bridge back up and put it in place in August, and finalize the remaining work that goes along with that," Vogrig said.
The crew will install the bridge's glass panels only after the overpass is repositioned across Water Street.
Vogrig said completing the final stage will take a week to 10 days, during which detours will be in place around that block of the busy thoroughfare.
