City hall believes it will cost almost $1 million to repair the slumping road on Ninth Avenue Southwest, but federal and provincial support could make the initiative easier to complete.
In July, city council approved a motion to submit the Highway 363 and Ninth Avenue Southwest project — from city limits to Warner Drive and Valleyview Drive — as an expression of interest to the Ministry of Highways through its Urban Highway Connector Program (UHCP).
At the time, city administration thought the project would cost $870,100.
“Research into the Highway 363 and Ninth Avenue Southwest location confirms that the ministry has been aware of slope stability and slumping issues for a considerable length of time, with structural repairs as well as slope monitoring occurring as far back as 1997,” a council report said.
In October, the ministry said it would support the project and encouraged city hall to apply for the federally funded disaster mitigation and adaptation fund. It also told the municipality to increase the project cost to $1 million for other work related to the project, such as upgrades and paving of the 175 metres and design work, the report continued.
Under the federal program, the maximum amount that the Canadian government would cover is 40 per cent of eligible costs, or $400,000. The Ministry of Highways would then pay the remaining $600,000 through the UHCP.
During the Nov. 8 regular meeting, council voted unanimously to submit the Highway 363 rehabilitation project under the federally funded disaster mitigation and adaptation fund, in conjunction with the ministry’s UHCP.
The deadline to apply is Nov. 15.
Coun. Doug Blanc was pleased that the street would receive some upgrades.
“That road is long overdue. It should have been done a number of years ago,” he said.
Blanc then wondered who would maintain the road once the work was complete and whether city hall had any say in who completed the work. He pointed to “the mess” the municipality faced after contractors failed to fix the north service road adequately.
As part of the project agreement, once the province completes the road upgrades, it will turn it over to the City of Moose Jaw for continued maintenance, Bevan Harlton, director of engineering, said during the council meeting.
Meanwhile, the ministry is funding this project and looking after it, he continued. The ministry will also confirm the project’s design in 2022 and send it to the city for approval before issuing a tender in 2023 to complete the work.
“Where I get peace of mind in where this program will work is that tender — before it goes out — will come (across) our desk for approval,” Harlton said. “So things like having an appropriate contract that requires you to hire the right contractor — we can influence that, but the work will be done through the ministry’s forces.”
The ministry will also look after the quality of work and ensure it’s done properly, but the city’s engineering department can be on site when key milestones take place to ensure the work is performed well, he added.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, Nov. 22.
