With rising costs, councilor wants provincial funding program re-evaluated

After council approved an $8.7-million tender for the rehabilitation of Dufferin Avenue on Monday night, a Wallaceburg councilor believes the province needs to take another look at its funding program.

Chatham-Kent was successful in obtaining $3 million in provincial Connecting Links funding for the project, with the municipality receiving the news last year.

Wallaceburg Coun. Aaron Hall said while he’s pleased the work is moving ahead, calling it “much needed,” he has concerns about rising construction costs.

“I think it’s really important that the province re-evaluate the program,” he said. “As we hear basically every council meeting, project costs continue to rise year after year. And the funding allotment from the province is not keeping pace.”

The Connecting Links program assists municipalities with repairing designated municipal roads and bridges that connect two ends of a provincial highway through a community, or to a border crossing.

The maximum amount of funding available is up to 90 per cent of eligible project costs or $3 million per road project, whichever is lower, and up to $5 million for bridge projects.

This project was submitted previously in the 2017-18 and the 2021-22 funding applications, but was not successful at those times.

Since then, construction costs have risen, according to a staff report, which highlighted the impact of “inflation, supply and demand pressures and various changes in construction regulations.”

Chief administrative officer Michael Duben said the municipality will continue to lobby the province, noting that one opportunity will be this summer’s Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference.

“(We) can’t guarantee that the province will accept our request,” he said. “But I think that’s one thing that we can do is continue to advocate to the province.”

Mayor Darrin Canniff believes if multiple municipalities raised their concerns it might draw more attention, adding it’s “not just Chatham-Kent that experiences the shortfall in funding.”

Birnam Excavating Ltd., of Arkona, will perform the Dufferin Avenue work, which encompasses the road between McNaughton Avenue and the western limits of Wallaceburg.

The work will consist of the following improvements:

– Replacement of watermain, including water services and fire hydrants, from Arnold Street to western limits and watermain improvements at the intersection of Dufferin Avenue and McNaughton Avenue;
– Installation of new storm sewer from Dauw Avenue to Arnold Street for future storm expansion on Arnold Street;
– Full replacement of curb from Arnold Street to western limits and partial curb replacement of curb from Arnold Street to McNaughton Avenue;
– Rehabilitation of catch basins and maintenance holes;
– New sidewalk on north side of Dufferin Avenue from Bruinsma Avenue to western limits, and partial replacement of sidewalk throughout the site based on condition;
– Traffic signal and intersection upgrades;
– Pavement rehabilitation using cold-in-place recycling;
– Boulevard grading and restoration in all areas affected by construction.

Two lanes of traffic on Dufferin Avenue and access to all properties and business will be maintained at all times throughout the construction.

Project details will be communicated to the public through the Let’s Talk CK webpage. Directly affected property owners will receive a letter prior to construction informing them of the project, including frequently asked questions and contact information for the contractor, consultant and municipality.