City of Moose Jaw fires contractor hired to replace water main on High Street

On May 11, the city of Moose Jaw announced they will be taking over the unfinished road construction on High Street after the motion was approved at a special meeting of city council.

The motion also stated that the Engineering Department will assume the remainder of the work as permitted.

“Having the city take control of this project is in the best interests of the affected property owners and all Moose Jaw residents,” Mayor Fraser Tolmie said. “We will ensure High Street is completed in an efficient, sustainable manner and we appreciate everyone’s patience during what has been a frustrating experience for all involved.”

According to CAA, High Street is leading the way with the Worst Roads Campaign as it winds down, with a total of three Moose Jaw streets ranking in the top ten.

Construction on High Street began in July 2017 as part of phase two of the city’s 20-year, $117 million Water Main Replacement Program. However, work was not completed by the contract completion date of November 30, 2017.

Since then, business owners and residents have expressed frustration over a lack of answers as to when the road will be fixed.

“It’s really bad,” Moose Jaw resident, Dale Mochoruk said. “Infrastructure is really important and these streets need to be fixed and I sympathize with anyone who has a nice vehicle that has to dodge all these streets in Moose Jaw, it’s not good.”

According to city officials, site testing, excavation and compaction work is waiting to be completed on High Street before it’s able to be paved. Residents can expect to see city crews working on the maintenance of High Street the morning of May 15, in addition to lateral and main sanitary line camera operations.

“What we have to do is protect the citizens of Moose Jaw as best as we can, but also the businesses that are being affected and so that’s the fine line that we have to walk as city hall, but enough is enough,” Tolmie said.

Once a timeline has been established, the city will be sharing it with the affected property owners and businesses. As for the contractor and possible legal action, the city declined to comment at this time.