While I have not been a supporter of the bridge rehabilitation, I have come to accept that it is an evil that we must deal with on a day to day basis. In fact the message given to us at the preliminary meetings from representatives of the province and the contracting companies was that it would be approximately 183 days (6 months). Based on this we should expect to be traveling northbound on the bridge roughly by Light Up Night in November.
I wonder if there are penalties within the contract should they not be completed on time. What are they and who do they go to? I am certain they will not go to the local businesses, which will have had to endure the hardest economic loss throughout this ordeal. I ask these questions because the times that I am not inconvenienced to have to drive around
When the tender went out, was a timeline on the work to be completed a factor in the decision process? While I understand that this is being driven by the province, I am writing this hoping that council and particularly our councilor will raise his voice and make for certain that this inconvenience cannot go beyond what is already too long and will most likely fall into the Christmas month of December based on the exhibition of work so far demonstrated. If they choose to work only to Thursday and are unable to deliver in the time line projected than the province by default should be held accountable to council's requests. These penalties should be re-distributed to those who have endured the worse, our local merchants.
Ken Hewitt,