Wortley's woes as construction season enters winter season
Already at their wits' end, homeowners along a stretch of Wortley Road are learning that road reconstruction will have to pause for the winter and resume next spring.
“It is frustrating,” admits homeowner Reg Watson. “Now we are into the wet weather and we’re looking at a muddy situation.”
Work to replace sewers, water mains, stormwater drains and other infrastructure began in May and was to be substantially completed by late fall.
Supply chain issues are being blamed for slowing the arrival of water mains for the project.
“With Wortley, it was definitely delays because of the water main supply issues,” explains Jennie Dann, director of Construction and Infrastructure. “That did push us back later than originally planned.”
Dann expects the water main installation should be completed this month.
Before Christmas, the contractor will winterize the road with a temporary hard surface.
Permanent sidewalks, curbs, and asphalt must wait until spring.
“There won’t be time to do the permanent concrete ones, they’ll try to put in the temporary asphalt sidewalks so there is a hard surface that can be maintained over the winter,” says Dann.
“For some people this is a safety issue,” says Betty Barrett, who lives on Wortley Road. “This is not just an inconvenience for people with disabilities, this is a barrier to their inclusion in our neighborhood.”
Barrett believes more should be done to assist neighbours who have limited mobility, visual impairment or anxiety during the extended construction period.
Dann says the delay will not impact the timeline of next year’s phase of reconstruction along Wortley Road.
Additional costs related to the delay will be covered by the project’s contingency budget.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
It could take years to catch up on child vaccinations in Ontario post-pandemic
Ontario is still playing catch up on routine vaccinations that many children missed during the pandemic and public health officials are warning that it could take years to solve the problem.