Author of the article: Tyler Kula
The project that began in 2019 to allow large industrial transports to pass unfettered through the city and along county roads includes burying and raising hydro lines, putting traffic signals on swivels, and repaving roadways, as well as a new dock at the end of Exmouth Street.
Nine new rotating bases for traffic signals have been installed along Exmouth Street to Murphy Road, and all the hydro-wire raising and burying work there via Bluewater Power has been “essentially finished,” Johnson said.
Similar work on Confederation Street and Line is 80 per cent complete, and three crossings – to be completed by year’s end – remain on Blackwell Side Road, near Enbridge solar farms, he said.
Another 11 rotating bases for signals are planned in 2022 along Murphy Road and Confederation Street, and at the corner of Chruchill Line and Plank Road, he said.
Delays in a $13-million Plank Road construction project aren’t expected to impact timing, he said.
“Earlier in the project we had deferred that section and we had opened up McGregor Side Road” to provide an interim corridor for companies there to use amid construction, he said.
An extra 50 square metres of asphalt was added at the corner of Confederation Line and Blackwell Side Road earlier this year, to make it easier for modules like the one that made the trip to Shell in September to make the turn.
“There was no business interruption at all during that move other than the solar farm was dropped for a few hours at night, which had minimal impact,” he said.
Local work in the Chemical Valley resulted in 60-70 industrial loads making use of the corridor last year, and between 50 and 100 in 2021, he said.
“Even though they’re not oversized loads, they’re the same deal – the schedule has vastly improved because of the corridor.”
Not much has been shipped out from local companies though, he said.
“With the overall economy globally, it’s just not there,” he said. “That aspect of the work, things going out of the city, there hasn’t been any real need or activity identified.”
Permits needed for the new Cestar Dock – named for a $4 million donation from Cestar College – are about 90 per cent complete with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks, Johnson said.
Aims are to tender the estimated $6 million dock project later this year or early 2022, Johnson said.
“We did have an update to the information from (consultant) GHD as far as costing and believe we’re still on target,” he said.
“But until we get bids, I can’t categorically say.”
Hopes are to have the dock work – planned to start next July – complete by the end of 2022, Johnson said.
“There may be some carry-over into 2023.”
Funding for the oversized load corridor project comes from Cestar, the City of Sarnia, County of Lambton, Bluewater Power, the Sarnia Lambton Industrial Alliance, St. Clair Township, and the federal and provincial governments.