TIMMINS - An ongoing major construction project is moving back to the east end of the city.
GIP Interpaving Ltd. has been awarded the $21.7 million contract for Connecting Link work on Highway 101 from Crawford Street to the Porcupine River bridge. It was approved at the March 18 Timmins council meeting.
Reconstructing the road is a multi-year project, but director of growth and infrastructure Scott Tam said the contractor is eager to do as much as they can do this year.
Coun. John Curley is happy to see the work being done.
“This is all going to tie in with the new traffic lights at the Porcupine Mall, they’ll be able to activate it so we’ll have our ambulances, our fire trucks, everything’s going to be activating through that one entrance,” he said.
It also means new traffic lights at the west entrance of Northern College.
"The increased traffic from the students, the patients for east end clinic, there’s an expansion that’s going to be taking place, along with Tisdale Bus Lines next door with their big garage going in. And it will also align across the street to that field for future development," he said.
The work on the road includes fully restoring the asphalt, improving drainage and a new curb and sidewalk on the northside of Highway 101 between Crawford Street and the Porcupine Mall. There will also be new street lights and traffic signals installed, along with a bigger watermain to allow for future development.
For the past several years, the Connecting Link work has been redoing the stretch through the downtown core.
Three tenders were received for this year's work and all were compliant.
The city has received multi-year provincial cash for the Connecting Link work.
Typically the provincial money covers 90 per cent of the work in a year up to $10 million. For 2025, director of finance Natalie Moore said the cashflow is reworked and the city's supposed to receive $13 million.
In 2025, the city budgeted $13.3 million for Connecting Link work.
Tam's report says the approved contract is under budget, though the savings will be realized in the 2026 budget.