Intersection reconstruction comes in $75,000 over budget

Once again, tenders for a Halton Hills capital project has come in over budget prompting council to approve $75,000 over-expenditure. Council awarded the contract for the Guelph St./Mountainview Rd. intersection to Cox Construction of Guelph for $1.12 million. The first phase of the project electrical underground construction and hydro relocations-- was already been completed in the fall/winter of 2004-05. The second phase, which began Monday, includes minor widening on Guelph St., widening of Mountainview Rd. on the east side, asphalt removal and replacement, new sidewalks, concrete curbs and islands, traffic signal installations, lighting and landscaping. The Province of Ontario is kicking in $765,000 as part of the Connecting Link program (Guelph St. is Hwy. 7). This is fourth tender in the last month to come in over-budget-- previous ones were Acton skate park (%50,000), Acton fair building ($123,00), and Georgetown leash-free zone ($8,000). "I think Halton Region owes us money," said Ward 2 Councillor Bryan Lewis, "We didn't get a finished product. Doesn't the Region have some obligation to pay some of this?"

In 2004, Halton Hills assumed Mountainview Rd. from Halton Region and at that time, Halton Region provided $280,000 for improvements including widening for an additional lane of northbound traffic and resurfacing of the road from the intersection to Campbell Gate.

Director of Engineering Public Works and Building Rick Henry said Halton Region provided the $280,000 as one-time funding as a result of the road download, and that the money the Town has to work with.

"That was in 2004 and this is towards the end of 2006. ...Prices of construction materials have raised substantially in the past year or two and (so) we're short," said Henry. Lewis said the process needs to move faster to save the taxpayers money. But Henry pointed out that the delay came from the provincial government, which did not approve monies for the second phase in - 2005, but instead, waited a year later.