Paradise upgrades won’t interfere with Canada Summer Games, says Street

By Mark Squibb

The Town of Paradise is moving ahead with major upgrades to Kenmount Road that will see the installation of storm, sewer, curb, and gutter, as well as the addition of a third median turning lane, sidewalk, and multi-purpose trail.
Deputy Mayor Kimberley Street brought forward the matter for discussion during the March 25 committee of the whole meeting.
Street explained that phase 1 of the project will include 500 metres of work from the McNamara Drive intersection to approximately civic address number 1250, and that staff received seven bids on the project. The lowest bidder was Modern Paving, which submitted a bid of just over $2.8 million. The highest bidder was Mercer’s Paving with a bid of $3.9 million. Both bids are exclusive of HST, and staff recommended that council award the contract to Modern Paving.
The project is cost shared with the federal government to the tune of $3.1 million, plus HST.
Construction is expected in begin this spring with completion later this year. As per the funding agreement, the project needs to be finished by July 2027.
“This is a high traffic area, and a major hub for our business community,” said councillor Patrick Martin, who applauded the addition of a turning lane in the plans.
Councillor Tommy Maher, meanwhile, said he was glad to see the project was competitively priced, noting all seven bidders were within a similar cost ballpark. Maher then asked whether the construction will have any impact on the Canada Summer Games, scheduled for August.
Deputy Mayor Kimberley Street said the impacts will be minimal.
“There are no lane or road closures going to happen, but they do anticipate times where traffic will be slow moving,” said Street. “There is no plan to stop the work, but they can adjust the workplan so it has the least impact on the Canada Games.”
Council had earmarked $246,000 for the design phase of the project in, but awarded the contract to Irvin Engineering at $164,657, well underbudget. Additional survey work brought the cost to $198,017, still under the initial budget.