Once work resumes on the delayed Big Prairie Bridge project northwest of Cremona this spring, Mountain View County (MVC) will be monitoring the project on a daily basis, say Deputy Reeve Patricia McKean.
“We are going to have county staff as well as our engineers there,” said McKean, whose Division 2 includes the bridge and area. “We are going to ensure that we get daily reports on work being done.
“And if they (workers) are not there (on site) we will be investigating why.”
Construction on the $2.8-million bridge project was originally scheduled to be completed last fall, but has been delayed until the spring.
The bridge is being constructed over the Little Red Deer River northwest of Cremona to replace the former bridge, which was destroyed in a still-unsolved arson fire in 2009.
The project cost is being shared 50-50 by MVC and Alberta Transportation.
When work does resume, the contractor will have 32 days to complete the project, she said.
“They have to have so many days of plus (above freezing) weather before they can begin on it. I am hoping it's by the end of April that they begin,” she said.
In an effort to ensure the project resumes as soon as possible, the county will be considering lifting the road ban at the site, she said.
“We have requested that administration have an exemption on the road ban there so that when the weather permits they can start construction,” she said.
The bridge project was originally scheduled to be completed on Nov. 30, but on that day the county announced that construction delays caused by several factors had postponed the opening until at least spring 2013.
Lawrence Haddow, president of contractor Trevcon Enterprises has told council that a late start on the project – in July instead of the scheduled start time of June – as well as some poor weather and a shortage of workers due to other projects the company was working on caused the delay.
Late penalties against the contractor will not come into effect until the first day construction resumes in the spring, council heard earlier.
The county says those penalties should be $1,350 a day; the contractor says it should be $800 a day.
