Council has waived the municipality’s normal procurement policy to allow for immediate repair to a Sideroad 17 culvert damaged during a major rainstorm on June 23.
On July 11 council received a report from public works director Sam Mattina indicating the culvert near Glen Allan “sustained critical damage in the way of structural failure,” during the storm, which caused flooding throughout the township and led Mayor Neil Driscoll to declare a state of emergency.
“This concrete box structure had a 1,200mm corrugated steel pipe (CSP) extension at each end,” Mattina stated in the report.
“A section of the CSP culvert extension broke apart and failed under the extreme forces of the water flow. Additionally, the connection between the CSP and the concrete box culvert is showing signs of imminent failure as well.”
The township contacted two local contractors to procure a quotation to perform the emergency replacement, but only one was able to perform the work immediately.
The staff report recommended council accept the quote of $116,170 from Kurtis Smith Excavating Limited to remove and replace the culvert.
Staff also recommended up-sizing the culvert to 2,000mm, which will double its hydraulic capacity and “significantly reduce the risk of washouts and road flooding in the future.” The report states the Grand River Conservation Authority has granted authorization.
Costs for the project will be covered by the 2017 budget capital allocation for “other bridge work” until funding, or a portion of the funding, has been secured from the provincial flood relief program, Mattina explained in the report.
