As work on this year's section of the Connecting Link continues, blasting is expected to start today.
Controlled blasting starts Monday, Sept. 12 and will be ongoing until further notice, according to a City of Timmins notice. The activity may occur Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
"Noise and vibration are to be expected. Contractor will work to control dust. The blasting is being conducted to remove bedrock in the construction zone between Preston moving west to Mountjoy," reads the notice.
Additionally, the water in the vicinity of the project will be shut off on Sept. 12 and Sept. 13 starting at 9 p.m. for about nine hours each night. The city says it's to allow for "continued water infrastructure work."
The 2022 Connecting Link work affects Algonquin Boulevard between Mountjoy Street and Theriault Boulevard.
The work includes replacing the water, sanitary and storm infrastructure, new curbs and sidewalks, and new asphalt and light standards.
The detour to the north of Algonquin is Theriault Boulevard, Vimy Avenue and Mountjoy Street North. There is a temporary four-way stop at Theriault and Vimy and a temporary three-way stop at Vimy and Mountjoy.
The south detour is Cameron Street, Commercial Avenue and Mountjoy Street South. There are temporary traffic lights at Cameron and Wilson, and Commercial and Mountjoy.
The detour for heavy truck traffic is the same as last year.
It includes Shirley Street, Lafleur Drive, Laforest and Highway 655.
New this year is a temporary speed limit drop to 50 km/h on Airport Road just south of Laforest in the Kraft Creek bridge area.
The start of construction was more than two months month later than when work started on last year's segment. In 2021, contractors started in early April. Algonquin fully shut down in May and reopened in November.
R.M. Belanger Ltd. has the three-year, $27.9 million contract to rebuild the downtown section of the Connecting Link. The cost of this year's section of work is $8.9 million, which is $982,875 more than what's budgeted.
