For two straight years, Premier Road topped CAA's list of worst roads in North Bay but with the 2023 news of an impending $1.8-million major reconstruction project, residents, pedestrians and motorists alike hoped the days of deep potholes and perilous walks along the side of the waterfront road in the south end of the city would soon be in the rearview mirror.
Tap the brakes on those hopes.
Premier Road will still see construction for parts of two years before it is completely repaved and features a sidewalk connecting Lakeshore Drive to Champlain Park but the schedule has now officially been pushed back.
See related: North Bay's worst road to undergo upgrades, repairs in 2024
According to the City of North Bay, it had originally set a tentative start date of mid-August for the sidewalk, drainage, and road resurfacing project from Fowler Street to Champlain Park.
"Unfortunately, the project is now behind schedule due to delays in awarding a contract and completing the engineering design," confirms Gord Young, the communications officer. "Despite this setback, the City remains committed to the project and still aims to tender it this year, with plans to complete some work near Champlain Park. The remaining work is scheduled for completion in 2025.
"Preliminary drawings and updated timelines will be posted on the City’s website, and a notice will be distributed to homeowners within the next two weeks."
As far as the sewage pumping station project, the City is finalizing the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment Schedule B report, which will be completed within the next two weeks.
"A notice will be issued to Premier Road homeowners to review the report and provide feedback. Following a 30-day comment period, the City will submit the report to the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation, and Parks (MECP) for review," adds Young. "Upon completion of the MECP review, the City will issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for design services. The goal is to have a contractor in place by July 2025, with project completion by November 2026."
Councillor Mark King was unintentionally prophetic when he spoke about the looming Premier Road reconstruction project earlier this year.
"It's good to see it in the budget for 2024," he said during a March capital budget meeting. "There will be people down on Premier Road who won't believe it when they actually see the construction," he said only half-kidding.
King noted then the location of the new stretch of sidewalk had been determined and he was told it would be installed on the Lake Nipissing side of Premier and would connect to the existing stretch of sidewalk.
Premier Road is highly populated and exposed to Lake Nipissing weather events and, depending on the season, heavy vehicle use by visitors to Champlain Park and the municipal dog park and boat launch located therein. It finished 12th among North and East roads in CAA's worst roads poll for 2022 and was North Bay's worst-ranked road.
Motorists and pedestrians find themselves navigating the potholes on a North Bay road that was again voted the city's worst according to 2023's CAA Worst Roads campaign and also climbed the list to third on worst Northern Ontario roads for 2023. In 2024, Premier Road dropped to North Bay's third-worst road and was fifth in the Northern Region.
