Switcheroo for Main Street project

Following the feedback of the membership of downtown businesses and with the cooperation of the contractor, the City of North Bay is adjusting its plans regarding the starting location of the reconstruction of Main Street this spring.

Instead of starting at Cassells Street, the Making Over Main Street project will begin at Sherbrooke Street and will proceed westward. The change is being made following consultation with MCA Contracting Ltd. and at the request of the Downtown Improvement Area (DIA).

“Based on the input of its membership, the DIA requested that the sequencing of the project be reversed,” said Mayor Peter Chirico. “The past few years have been challenging for downtown merchants and they’re still trying to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given that the DIA property and business owners will be impacted by the project the most, the City has made the decision to accommodate this request.”

MCA Contracting Ltd. has confirmed that this change will have no impact on the project cost or completion date.

What the switch in starting points does is give the businesses located on the more heavily populated blocks of Main Street another year's reprieve to recover from the pandemic before the construction most assuredly affects traffic at their storefronts. Not all businesses have Oak Street or parking garage access. Downtown business owners support the project but the sense is another year of interrupted business will go a long way toward short-term survival with an eye on long-term prosperity.

The project, which will take place over two years, involves the reconstruction of Main Street between Sherbrooke and Cassells streets, as well as a section of Ferguson Street between Main and Oak streets. Work is expected to get underway in May, with completion tentatively scheduled for the fall of 2024.

Each block is expected to take up to three months to complete. Only once a block has been fully reconstructed will the contractor proceed to the next block.

“The DIA remains fully supportive of this project which will help to create more vibrancy in the downtown and bring more development and investment to the heart of our city,” said DIA Chair Katie Bevan. “We appreciate the City’s responsiveness to our members and its willingness to make this change.”

Prior to construction, members of the public can learn more about how the project will unfold during an open house at City Hall where there will be an opportunity to view the construction drawings, project schedule, and ask City staff and the contractor project-related questions. Notification of the public meeting will be provided once a start date has been finalized.

See related: City puts Main Street reconstruction project out to tender

In late March, North Bay City Council paved the way for the Main Street rehabilitation project despite inflationary pressures by awarding an $8.85-million contract to MCA of Lively, Ont. In March 2022, the construction cost was pegged at $6.2 million. Five bids for the construction phase were received. According to the associated staff report, "The bid from MCA Contracting Ltd. was the lowest bid and provides the best overall value to the City. Their bid is considered fair and reasonable."

And: All Main Street reconstruction bids come in over budget

"The previous council allowed a year coming out of Covid for downtown businesses to get back on their feet," Chirico stated. "Unfortunately, during that time we also experienced some of the highest inflation rates that we have in the last 40-50 years — which have led to higher gas prices and just about higher everything, including the increase in this project's costs, originally looked at in 2018."

See: City asked to push $6.2M Main Street project to 2023 as downtown businesses recover from pandemic

Just months ago, the overall project cost, including $340,000 for engineering and design plus contingencies, was given an estimated budget line of $7.6 million. That includes $690,000 in NOHFC funding and approximately $3 million in Ontario Community infrastructure funding (OCIF). Total project costs include the
cost of construction, design fees, and engineering consultant fees.

"It is estimated that up to $2 million in additional funding is required for completion of this project," the report reads. Those funds will be transferred — $1 million from each of two municipal reserves — to cover the inflated cost of the project.

The work will involve the replacement of surface infrastructure including a new asphalt roadway, brushed concrete and exposed aggregate sidewalks, curb and gutter, retaining walls, stairs, railings, benches, traffic lights, festoon lighting and other ancillary works. It would be the first major renovation to Main Street in nearly 40 years.

The project involves the reconstruction of Main Street from Sherbrooke Street to Cassells Street and Ferguson Street from Main Street to Oak Street, as outlined in the North Bay Downtown Waterfront Master Plan (DWMP).

For more project information, click here.