WELLINGTON NORTH - A major street in the Township of Wellington North has been closed off due to construction.
Queen Street East in Mount Forest has been closed off on Monday for a reconstruction project which will last for four months.
The project consists of the resurfacing of the rough Queen Street East roadway after underground water, sanitary pipes and storm sewers are replaced.
Since Queen Street East is closed off, Sligo Road through South Gate Road will act as a detour route for traffic coming from eastbound and westbound Highway 89 and Highway 6.
Cox Construction was awarded the multi-million-dollar contract to complete the much-anticipated Highway 89 (Queen Street East) reconstruction project.
Originally, the township budgeted $3 million for the project, but Cox Construction bid $3.63 million – $622,365 over the original budget.
In the end, however, the cost of the project increases from there once taxes and engineering fees are factored in, topping out at $4.08 million — $1,072,983 over budget.
To pay for the overage, council cut down the township’s asphalt program and recommended $1.07 million that would have gone toward them to bridge the gap between the approved Queen Street East budget and true costs.
Council will also use the $1.42 million from the connecting links program as well as use the funding the township received from the capital infrastructure reinvestment reserve fund, waterwork reserve fund, and the Ontario community infrastructure fund.
