Thunder Bay's May Street repairs go ahead, despite funding bump

The city of Thunder Bay has lost out in a bid to get provincial money to upgrade part of May Street — but the work will still go ahead this year, thanks to some juggling in the city budget.

The city had applied to the government for $2.4 million to refurbish the stretch between Miles and Dease Streets. But infrastructure and operations general manager Darrell Matson says the city recently learned its application was denied.

The project isn't dead, however.

To find the money for May Street, the city has deferred some other projects to 2016. "May Street still remains as one of the highest rehabilitation projects," Matson said. "We actually moved some of the projects around, we re-prioritized them, and May Street is still in the 2015 program."

"The Ontario Infrastructure Community project application was not successful," Matson continued. "It's a competition-based process."

The provincial program has a cap, so there was not enough money to go around for all projects submitted by municipalities. 

The only project approved in the Thunder Bay district under the OIC fund was a $352,000 grant to the Rossport Local Services board to improve water pressure in the community

This is the final upgrade to May Street that the city has in the works for now.

A stretch of May St. from Southern Ave. to Dease St. was refurbished last year. That work included new storm water and sanitary sewer pipes, as well as upgrades to sidewalks and lighting.