UPDATED 9:48 P.M. June 19, 2018.

Although major construction work was set to begin on High Street this week, there have been a few days, Champlain Township council learned at its regular meeting which took place earlier this evening.

According to the public works head James McMahon, a subcontractor issue resulted in a delay.

One of the first tasks will be to install an above-ground water potable water reservoir and that means connecting to the water main.

Pulverization of parts of the road surface will be next. McMahon answered a few questions from council about the construction work. McMahon pointed out that fire and emergency vehicles would have access to the street at all times, with space to drive on the street shoulder, if necessary.

Major reconstruction work will take place between Vankleek Hill’s main intersection to the south limits of town at Highway 34. The work will continue until mid-November.  Throughout the process, High Street will remain open, but to only one lane of traffic at a time. The project will cost $3,688,350, with most of that cost being picked up by the Province of Ontario. The cost of water main replacement and repairs to the existing sanitary sewer will be picked up by Champlain Township. The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) will pay for storm sewer work as part of the reconstruction.

A full reconstruction of the street and the paved shoulders will take place, along with replacement of the existing storm sewers and catch basins. Watermains and associated services are all on the list of items to be replaced.

The sanitary sewers will be repaired, but not replaced. An extension is taking place at the southern end of the system.

Curbs and sidewalks will be replaced; the west sidewalk will be extended to the village limits.

If your driveway is disturbed due to construction activities or changes to the slope connecting it to the street, it will be reinstated using matching materials as much as possible. If a driveway is inaccessible due to construction work, property owners are being asked to park on side streets.

A big change will be the closure of Methot Street where it currently intersects with High Street. Methot Street will be accessible only via Main Street South following completion of the project.

Another extra that will take place as part of this project is that affected properties will be connected to a temporary potable water supply during the replacement of the watermain.

How will this work? An aboveground system will be connected to an outdoor hose big (connection) at each property. A representative from Cornwall Gravel Co. Ltd. will be visiting each house to review the house connection with the property owner prior to construction. (Emergency number: If property owners are experiencing any difficulties with the temporary potable water supply, they can call 613-932-6571.)

Temporary water shutdowns

Due to the magnitude of the construction project, some side streets may be temporarily closed to traffic at the points where they join High Street. The affected side streets are: Russell Street, Smith Street, Fraser Street, Wall Street, Mill Street, Hamil Street and Main Street.

Daytime water shutdowns will take place during the water main replacement work; these shutdowns are expected to last less than four hours. Property owners will be contacted at least 24 hours in advance. Property owners are reminded to let the water run until it becomes clear after water has been restored.

Questions and concerns can be directed to Adam Poapst, EVB Engineering’s Inspector in person on site or by telephone at 613-363-3671.

EVB is managing the project for Champlain Township.

There is also a Facebook page dedicated to the construction project here.