Cumberland Undertakes Huge Road Projects

Cumberland County Council held a special meeting this afternoon when they approved over ten million dollars in critical contracts for Springhill and Parrsboro.

The lion’s share of work will be to remediate and replace everything from the surface to the underground of Springhill’s Junction Road.

Nobody disputes the need, as the road surface has not been this rough since the days of corduroy — a reference to the Scotsman John MacAdams.

Not only will the road be paved, but its substructure will be removed and rebuilt.

Council approved a bid of $7,292,000 from Dexter Construction.

Council was told it needed a complete overhaul including, new water mains, a new sanitay sewage system, and a new storm water drainage system.

The street, itself, will get sidewalks, curbs, and gutters.

Meanwhile, Cumberland Paving and Contracting will handle the Athol Road water main replacement project at a cost of $2,361,912.

The tenders were well over budget, close to two million dollars, but the project could not be delayed any further.

The municipality has been in talks with Tory Rushton, the local MLA to see if the province can assist further.

County staff will meet with the contractors as early as possible to discuss the start date, but the director of public works noted the expected completion has been set for the end of October.

Public updates will be provided during the construction phase with updates on progress and alerts on road closures and detours.

Council also agreed to spend another $830,111 for street paving — $522,301.01 in Springhill and $343,421.76 for Parrsboro — by Cumberland Paving & Contracting.

Add your comments below.