Prince Street under scrutiny
CBRM issues engineering tender for possible reconstruction
The Cape Breton Regional Municipality has issued a tender for engineering services for the possible reconstruction of the last remaining section of Prince Street to be redesigned.
If it goes ahead, the work would take place during the 2019 construction season. It would address the 390-metre section between Disco Street and Whitney Avenue in Sydney. The project, at this point, is only proposed.
The owner’s engineering consultant would assist with the design, tendering and construction of the project.
The busy arterial road sees about 19,000 car movements daily, according to the terms of reference for the request for proposals. It notes that, over the years, improvements have been made to the street to allow for better movement of vehicles and pedestrians.
It also notes that this section of the existing paved road is about 12-metres wide, comprised of four three-metre lanes, “which is less than optimal for current design standards and can bottle-neck traffic at certain times of the day.”
The project is described as a full road reconstruction “to optimize lane configuration,
improve road cross-section profile and provide full sub-grade renewal, as well as asphalt paving, new curb and gutter and sidewalks on both sides of the Victoria Road to Disco Street portion of Prince Street.
The roadway in the Disco to Inglis streets area is also to have asphalt removed and replaced with asphalt concrete.
The tender document also
notes that the closeness of existing buildings to property boundaries and the location of utility poles are constraints to widening the street and to continue to provide sidewalk access on both sides of the street.
The CBRM’s engineering department has been in contact with Bell Aliant and the company is in the process of removing its poles from the south side
of the street and reattaching its lines and equipment to Nova Scotia Power utility poles on the north side of the street, the tender notes.
The tender closes Nov. 15 and the contract is due to be awarded later in November. The time frame outlined in the tender calls for a construction services tender to be issued in June with a contractor selected the
final month.
Construction would take place from July to September, with the project to be substantially completed in November 2019.
Because the project is only proposed, CBRM’s department of engineering and public works said it would be premature to speak about it at this time.