The final touches on a major construction project in L’Orignal will not be completed until the spring of 2024.
On November 22, United Counties of Prescott and Russell (UCPR) council received a report explaining that the reconstruction of King Street (County Road 24) in L’Orignal will not be finished in 2023. The $5.1 million project has involved replacing sanitary and storm sewers, and water mains.
According to a similar report presented to Champlain Township council on November 23, all underground work has been completed. The “base lifts,” or bottom layers of asphalt pavement and all concrete work were to be completed by mid-November. The work being delayed to 2024 is the “top lift,” or top layers of asphalt pavement.
The decision to postpone adding the final layers of asphalt was made by the UCPR, in consultation with the Township of Champlain and the contractor Cornwall Gravel. The reason, according to Champlain Township, is that there are insufficient warm days left to complete the paving. According to the UCPR, the work cannot be finished within the current calendar year without risking compromising the integrity and quality of the product.
There was no discussion among council members about the delay of the completion of the King Street reconstruction at either the UCPR or Champlain council meetings. Champlain Township Mayor Normand Riopel said a shortage of labour may have been a factor and he is not blaming anyone for the final work being deferred to 2024.
“Some jobs are delayed,” Riopel remarked.
The UCPR, Champlain, and Cornwall Gravel will establish a revised timeline for the completion of the King Street project in L’Orignal.
