It must be spring! St. John's preparing to dig up Water Street again
Phase 2 of major five-year infrastructure project set to begin next month
The City of St. John's says it's doing everything it can to make sure the Big Dig isn't a big disruption to pedestrians, drivers and local businesses.
This multi-year project removing old, crumbling water and sewer infrastructure under Water Street moves east this year. Work was done last year from the intersection of Queen and Water streets to Waldegrave Street and Bishop's Cove. City officials say that work cost about $4-million dollars.
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St. John's Coun. Dave Lane says the city has been consulting with residents and businesses, asking a simple question: "How can we do this important construction with as little impact on business as possible?"
Lane said some steps they took last year worked.
"We put in incentives and fines for the contractor to say we've got to be done by Canada Day … and we did it. They had a few little tweaks at the end and they were in fact a couple of days beyond in work and they did pay a small fine. So it worked," said Lane.
City officials say the contractor was fined only a few thousand dollars for being about a day and half over schedule but that also meant it didn't get a $50,000 bonus for meeting the deadline.
Lane says work on Phase 2 of the multi-year project is scheduled to begin in early April and will take three months.
"This year we're going to have a real short diversion down to Harbour Drive, off of Water Street, for that section, which means if you are going east, you keep going down Water Street and if you are going west, you just divert around," said Lane.
At least one downtown business is praising the city.
"I think the city has worked with us. We've had many meetings and they've listened and we are working together. I think this is going to be positive. I think it is going to be OK," said Gayle Decker of Next Clothing Company on Water Street.
She rejects the idea that the work will force some businesses to close their doors.
"We've been downtown for 22 years. I don't think it will make or break us. I think our customers will come downtown. We just want to make sure that it's not as negative as it sounds and we're all open for business," said Decker.