In what will be the biggest public works project in decades, the District of Houston has let a $3.274 million contract to replace underground infrastructure and revitalize 9th Street in the downtown area.
The contract went to Terus Construction of Surrey and work on the 20-week project is to start next month and last until mid-September.
Mayor Shane Brienen called the project, the first of three downtown revitalization phases, a crucial part of the District’s long-term strategy of replacing aging underground infrastructure and improving surface beautification to attract investment and new residents.
“This has been our focus since the Houston Forest Products closure in 2014, and these projects are going to put us in the position of recovery in a Post-COVID-19 scenario.”
Included in this project budget is $650,000 for a sidewalk from Benson Ave. to the eastern edge of the current Poulton Ave. intersection at Hwy16 along along with bases for future street lighting.
The sidewalk work fits in with the District’s separate yet connected long-term vision of visual and infrastructural improvements for the downtown area.
The last largest District project was the 2015 completion of its water treatment plant at a cost of $3.13 million.
“However, if we account for inflation, that title would go to the original construction of the water, sewer and storm drainage system in the late 60s,” noted District chief administrative officer Gerald Pinchbeck when asked if the downtown project was the largest ever to be undertaken by the District.
First up for Terus will be removal of surface material followed by new underground civic piping works and then basework.
All in, council approved a budget of $4.95 million for the project, including the amount for sidewalk construction.
With the Terus contract at $3.274 million and $350,000 for project management and quality control, Pinchbeck told council there will be a $1.326 million set aside as a contingency allowance.
“At this time, staff are not requesting direction nor authorization from council as to the disposition of these funds,” Pinchbeck noted.
The project budget was assembled by taking $1.796 million from a one-time provincial grant for capital spending or planning received last year, from $650,000 in a federal gas tax rebate and $2.5 million from the District’s water and sewer reserve accounts.
Outstanding, however, are two grant proposals submitted by the District — one for $500,000 to a provincial program which finances improvements for pedestrians and cyclists and the other to an organization called Tree Canada for $6,967.
The provincial grant would “fund pedestrian upgrades, including the sidewalks, crosswalks, access ramps and other pedestrian/cyclist supportive infrastructure,” said Pinchbeck.
“If successful, these grants would offset the amount required from the District’s water water capital and sewer capital reserve funds, further increasing the proportion of grant funding supporting this project, and preserving these sources of financing for future phases of this project.”
Those future phases involve reconstruction of 10th Street and 11th Street.
Terus Construction was the lowest of three bids submitted — the others were from Eagle Rock Construction Ltd. of Kamloops for $3.753 million and IDL Projects Ltd. of Prince George for $4.793 million.