Gananoque council last week directed town staff to issue a tender for the full scope of the Water Street Swing Bridge repairs project.

This occurred during the Sept. 5 council meeting.

Council instructed staff to move ahead with structural repairs of the Water Street Swing Bridge as part of the approved 2023 Budget. Upon further investigation of the bridge, the required repairs exceeded the initial estimates from the 2020 and 2022 Ontario Structure Inspection Manual (OSIM) reports.

Staff has been working with Greer Galloway Group throughout the year to develop a scope of work and determine the best course of action to complete the required repairs.

Staff told council that tendering and completion of these works can be deferred until 2024, however, that would likely result in an increase in cost. Staff discussions with neighbouring municipal staff, contractors and consultants led to the belief that these estimates will likely increase by anywhere between five to 15 per cent in 2024. A legal survey ($6,000) should be completed as part of this project, staff added.

“If we tender it now for the full job, we are far more likely to have all the work completed before the end of June 2024,” said Mayor John Beddows.

Approximately $4,000 has been spent to date in developing the scope of work and tender documents for this project. The original approved 2023 budget amount for this project is $90,000.

Actual costs for any of these works cannot be confirmed until tendered amounts are received. Estimated total costs for the full extent of the repairs is approximately $221,000, plus the additional $6,000 for the legal survey.

(Keith Dempsey is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Brockville Recorder and Times. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.)

Keith Dempsey, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Brockville Recorder and Times