Busy street construction season ahead in Carleton Place

Posted Jan 5, 2012 By Jeff Maguire

EMC News - It is winter and the current Public Works focus in Carleton Place is on snow removal and winter street maintenance.

That will change this coming spring when another busy street reconstruction season is launched.

On Dec. 13 Carleton Place council approved the 2012 municipal budget and local taxpayers face a 2.45 per cent increase.

Once again the lion's share of the capital budget falls into the areas of Transportation and Environmental, with street reconstruction work at the top of the list.

The difference in 2012 is that major projects such as the Bridge Street reconstruction two years ago and last year's three-phase Beckwith Street project are no longer part of the picture.

"We've completed the big jobs on Bridge and Beckwith streets. Next year will be more in keeping with a typical construction season," long-time Carleton Place public works director Dave Young said the week before Christmas.

"There is still a significant program. But I would call it a more normal year.

"With Bridge and Beckwith done, I think it is time to stay out of the downtown for a while," he said with a chuckle.

Leading the planned projects this year will be the complete reconstruction of Frank Street, which runs north from Lake Avenue W. on the south side of town. "Frank Street needs major upgrades," Young observes.

The week the budget was approved, in mid-December, Carleton Place treasurer Phil Hogan also commented on the planned reconstruction of Frank Street. The work has been pegged at $777,000.

"The Frank Street sewer and water (lines) are old and need to be redone," Hogan underlines.

This year's budget will see total expenditures of $30.38 million.

That is down from the $32.55 million approved by the newly elected town council on Jan. 25, 2011 for the calendar year just past.

Hogan says the total budget decrease relates to the amount of infrastructure work which will be undertaken in 2012.

He too points to past projects which were much more costly.

"A lot of our main infrastructure projects are done, Bridge Street (the town's main thoroughfare) and Beckwith Street for instance," said Hogan.

"I would call it a more normal level of capital spending next year," he added.

Hogan says the amounts ticketed for major capital projects ebb and flow in relation to the amount of infrastructure money big government (the federal and provincial governments) make available to municipalities.

"We take advantage of infrastructure dollars when they are available. When that money isn't there we slow down.

"We're very forward looking here," Hogan says.

"The workload has been spread out over many years."

He notes that of a total 54 kilometres of roads in the growing town of nearly 10,000 "only a couple of kilometres are older than the 1960s."

The treasurer is referring to the unseen infrastructure beneath the road surface, the intricate network of underground pipes.

Exactly the kind of work that will take place on Frank Street for example.

SEWER REPLACEMENT

The project, which will run the entire length of the north-south residential street from Lake Ave. to the Mississippi River, will include the replacement of sewer and water lines and road reconstruction including storm sewer upgrades.

In addition a new granular base, concrete curbs and new sidewalks will be added.

To complete the work, a new asphalt surface will be put in place.

The next most expensive project on this year's list relates to development work on Hooper Street on the southeast side of Carleton Place.

The $400,000 program includes construction of the street south to Cavanagh Road and the development of a new commercial/industrial area.

Included in the program is new sewer and water infrastructure along with road and surface drainage facilities.

The work, however, is dependent on the sale of land at the new commercial and industrial site.

Also on this year's slate is asphalt overlay work on a number of streets which will cost an estimated $342,500.

Young says the streets involved have not yet been finalized.

"We are assessing the streets and will decide what the priorities are. Some are deteriorating quickly and will need to be done first."

Another major road upgrading project will take place on a short stretch of Mill Street, which runs past the historic Carleton Place Town Hall.

MILL STREET UPGRADE

The street will be reconstructed from Bridge Street to a point 60 metres east of Beckwith Street, near the Carleton Place and District Youth Centre.

Included in the Mill Street work will be the replacement of about 50 metres of sewer and water lines east of Beckwith Street and the reconstruction of the road itself including granular base, sidewalks and asphalt.

The estimated cost of that project is $230,000.

"We had hoped to do it (Mill Street) in conjunction with the Beckwith Street project. But it didn't happen."

Asked about the proximity of the Mill Street work to the Town Hall, the municipal headquarters building, Young quipped, "There is no preferential - no special treatment - involved.

"Mill Street is heavily traveled," he notes.

The other key street project will be on Victoria Street, which runs parallel to Bridge Street on the west side of the town's main thoroughfare.

That work will involve removal and replacement of the existing road surface at a projected cost of $165,000. Victoria Street runs from Lake Avenue W. (the south end) north to Allan Street.

TRAFFIC DISRUPTIONS

Young says because Victoria Street is heavily used there will be some disruption to vehicular traffic and pedestrian use.

"But I think we are looking at a fairly small window. It is mainly the asphalt platform (street surface).

"We will also correct any sidewalk deficiencies while we are in there," the public works director outlines.

Other key items in the Transportation and Environmental section of the capital budget include major maintenance work at both the sewage and water treatment plants.

The $235,000 program is part of ongoing capital works at both plants and will also include maintenance at the town's water tower on the south side of town, east of Franktown Rd.

Also this year nearly $300,000 has been set aside to engineer municipal infrastructure to support the development of a link from McNeely Ave. to Highway 15 and the creation of new industrial lands.