1st phase of major downtown Moncton infrastructure work set to start

Moncton council has awarded a contract for the first phase of major infrastructure work downtown around the courthouse.

A city staff report to council calls the work "the first phase of many phases in preparation for downtown redevelopment."

Councillors unanimously voted Monday evening to award Fram Enterprises Inc., the lowest of four bidders, the contract worth $3,280,651.

"The project that was approved [Monday] is all about relocating a sewer that would otherwise be in the way of a future building," René Lagacé, Moncton's director of engineering, said in an interview Tuesday. 

Lagacé said there will be "limited" disruption to the public from temporary street or lane closures on Westmorland and Assomption Boulevard. 

"We expect that there will be a lot more impacts as we do the other phases of this project in future years and those closures, lane closures, will be communicated at that time," he said. 

Four phases are planned over four to five years with a total budget of $36.3 million.

The work approved Monday will see the relocation of the combined sewer line under the Assomption Place parking lot, relocating electrical and communications lines in the parking lot, and "surcharging" the lower portion of Westmorland Street.

Surcharging is applying material to help with compaction of soil and is a preliminary step in raising the level of Westmorland. 

City plans call for raising the level of the street and others in the area above their current height to reduce flood risks.

Lagacé said the surcharging will compress the soil to reduce the risk of settlement in the future. Vehicles will be able to drive over the material, which Lagacé said will remain for about a year. 

Future phases are expected to include construction of an east-west street between Downing and Westmorland streets, raising the height of parts of Downing and Assomption Boulevard.

Funding for the various phases was announced by the federal and provincial governments earlier this year. The city is paying $9.7 million of the total cost.

The staff report to council from Monday says the city expects the funding on hand will still be sufficient for the overall project.

Lagacé said the first phase is expected to start in early September. The staff report to council says it should be done by Dec. 1.

Meanwhile, the city expects construction to start on Lutz Street between Main and Record streets. That work, with separate funding, is expected to take two years.

"So there's definitely going to be a lot of construction activity in our in our downtown," Lagacé said.

Some of the work will take place in the surface parking lot owned by Moncton's Ashford Group development firm.

The firm has previously indicated is plans to redevelop the area. 

Earlier in the summer, councillors awarded a contract to study the feasibility of including convention-centre space in the Ashford development. 

That report is expected to be complete by this fall.

While an Ashford Group representative indicated in February that the firm might reveal its plans for a first phase this spring, so far nothing has been announced. 

"While this announcement is great news and essential to the overall development, it does not change our schedule for our phase one which is closely linked to the convention centre study," Jim Dixon, a principal with the company, said in an email Tuesday. 

Once the study is complete, Dixon said the company expects to be able to comment on its plans.