BA Black Top of Cranbrook has been awarded the $3,683,120.35 contract for the repaving of Gerry Sorensen Way this summer. Council approved the contract Monday night and also approved a $736,624.07 (20%) contingency for the project.
The City received funding through the Strategic Priorities Fund through Federal Gas Tax Fund in British Columbia. A grant of $4.5 million towards the upgrade of GSW including sub-base, paving, water, storm and sewer upgrades was received.
The work ongoing right now is not the contractor but the city, as work on the water main is underway. Manager of Operations Mike Fox says that once the contractor takes over, a traffic management plan will be developed. Traffic is being diverted up to Norton Avenue currently.
This project proposes to reconstruct Gerry Sorenson Way in a way that will mitigate long-term problems and reduce annual maintenance costs. Multiple layers of pavement would be ground and recycled, and subsurface blue clay would be removed. The sub-surface material will be replaced with geotechnical suitable gravel and a modern geo-grid synthetic subsurface. Underground utilities will be replaced or lined before paving the road, this will ensure the quality of the road in future years, says a staff report.
The report also notes that when Gerry Sorensen Way was constructed, no one took into account the underground water movement and the road was built on top of blue clay road subsurface material, which is notoriously poor for drainage and stability. As a result, large potholes and cracks develop every spring.
City CAO Scott Sommerville says curious residents are asked to stay away from the construction site. The public will be kept informed on progress, he says.
The City received four bids on the project with BA Blacktop being the lowest by some $200,000.
Council noted that it was good to see a project this size go to a local company.