THUNDER BAY – A section of River Street that collapsed in May and has remained closed since won’t reopen to traffic until next year, the City of Thunder Bay has confirmed.
The outcome was not unexpected, though city engineers had expressed faint hope that with favourable conditions, the $2.5 million project could be completed before the end of 2022.
A large sinkhole developed on May 5 above twin culverts that carried the waters of McVicar Creek, between Algoma and Peter streets.
In an interview earlier this week, project engineer Mike Vogrig said the city expects the replacement of those culverts to be completed before the end of this year’s construction season, but there likely won’t be time to finish backfilling the site and repave the roadway before temperatures cool.
“I wouldn’t expect that work to get completed this year,” he said. “We’ll have to wait for the temperatures to get better again next year, then we can start finishing off the backfill and repave the road.”
Synergy North and Tbaytel have completed utility removal work in the area, and contractor Taranis took control of the site on Wednesday, Vogrig said.
The previous twin 15-foot culverts are set to be replaced with a single structural multi-plate metal arch, mounted on concrete footings.
