A median barrier has been removed from the road design work for Rae Hill.
Timmins council voted to remove the concrete barrier at its Feb. 5 meeting. While the motion passed, South Porcupine Coun. Mickey Auger voted against it.
In preparation for the 2019 construction season, Aecom's Valerie McGirr and Timmins Public Works manager Ken Krcel talked to council about the design in January.
The stretch of road between South Porcupine and Schumacher is slated to be done this year as part of the ongoing Connecting Link project.
In 2016, council of the day asked for the road design to include an 800-metre barrier, which at the time had a $1-million price tag.
The estimated cost to do the work today, including rock removal and embankment widening, is $2.4 million.
With the median removed, this week, Coun. Joe Campbell asked if there are plans to bring the slope of the hill down a bit.
"I think historically that hill has been flattened quite a bit and to do that we would be increasing costs drastically," said Pat Seguin, director of engineering and public works.
