The trucks are parked and no workers are on the job after the Ministry of Labour issued three work orders on the first phase of Point Edward’s $6-million road reconstruction.
The orders were issued Wednesday June 12 and work was shut down. It was expected to resume Monday morning, but all was still quiet Monday afternoon.
The orders are related to traffic control, said village clerk and CAO Jim Burns.
Initially, the contractor was hoping to have approval to proceed on Thursday afternoon, Burns said in an email to council.
“The contractor has told us that the ministry wants a more detailed traffic control plan provided,” Burns said. “That was sent to them (Thursday) but what they sent was not sufficient.”
The Journal contacted the project manager for contractor McNally Excavating Ltd., but he refused comment Monday.
However, he did confirm that the orders were not issued as a result of an injury.
A representative with MIG Engineering, which is managing the project along St. Clair and Lite streets for the village, also did not want to comment and said the contractor had not shared details of the orders with MIG.
When contacted for details Monday, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training & Skills Development confirmed the ministry was notified of a construction site safety concern in Point Edward on June 12 and a ministry inspector attended the site.
Three orders were issued to McNally Excavating Ltd. and the ministry’s investigation is ongoing, wrote Anuradha Dhar in an email to The Journal.
“The ministry’s investigation is ongoing. As such, no further information can be provided at this time,” Dhar wrote.
Point Edward Mayor Bev Hand and Burns said the orders were not shared with the village.
“We are at arms’ length,” said Burns.
“It is disappointing given that all the curbs got in and the road in Phase 1 was starting to take shape,” said Mayor Hand. “MIG is working on the issue as our representative so hopefully it will be resolved shortly.”
Prior to the orders that stopped all work at the site, paving for Phase 1 along Lite Street from Front St. to Helena was scheduled for Friday. Earlier this spring, Phase 1 already had its share of problems including a couple of water main breaks, three broken gas lines and unnotified water shutdowns.
Council was updated two weeks ago and there was optimism at that time that Phase 1 could be completed by the middle of June and the next phase along St. Clair Street could get under way.
This summer’s road reconstruction is the largest in the village’s history. A large, five-block stretch of Lite and St. Clair streets from Front Street to Michigan Avenue is scheduled to be rebuilt in phases this summer.