Palmerston’s Main Street reconstruction tendered for $14 million

GUELPH – The reconstruction of Main Street (Wellington Road 123)  in Palmerston will cost more than $14 million and will begin in early spring.

The tender for the work, a joint project between Minto and the county, was reviewed and approved at a Jan. 13 county roads committee meeting.

“This is going to take place over two construction seasons and it’s broken into sections,” manager of purchasing and risk management services Jackie Osti told the committee.

Section one, from Toronto Street to Cumberland Street, runs from early spring to late fall this year and will include:

• removing/replacing existing asphalt, curbs, sidewalks and boulevards;
• installing/commissioning a new watermain;
• storm water management; and
• staged construction of a roundabout at Toronto Street.

Section two, from Cumberland Street to Lorne Street, is expected to run from early spring of 2027 to late fall and include:

• removing/replacing existing asphalt, curbs, sidewalks and boulevards;
• constructing a new sanitary sewer from Henry Street to Lorne Street;
• installing/commissioning a new watermain; and
• adding decorative street lighting and traffic signals at William Street with a pedestrian crossover between Cumberland Street and Whites Road (Wellington Road 5).

The third section, from Lorne Street to east of Highway 23, will run from early spring to late fall 2026 and include:

• removing/replacing existing asphalt, curbs, sidewalks and boulevards;
• installing/commissioning a new watermain; and
• constructing a roundabout at Minto Road.

“Work under sections one and three will maintain one lane of traffic under temporary traffic control,” the report states.

Section two is set to be constructed under a full road closure to allow for “efficient” completion of extensive underground and surface works,” the report adds. 

“[The] underground [work] is essentially the town and above ground is the County of Wellington,” Osti said regarding project costs and responsibilities. 

The completion date is set for March 2028.

County and town staff, along with project consultant Triton Engineering Services, reviewed five submissions and came to a consensus vote to award the contract to Harriston-based Moorefield Excavating for nearly $14.2 million excluding 13 per cent HST.

 “We wanted somebody who had obviously relevant projects,” Osti said. 

The highest bid came from E.C. King Contracting, based in Owen Sound, at $16.5 million.

“The Town of Minto is very pleased,” said Minto Mayor Dave Turton. “[This project has] been on the books for quite a number of years, and we’re pleased that it’s happening.”  

The project cost totals $20.25 million, with the county covering $14.03 million and the town $6.21 million.

Additional costs for both parties include utility relocates/staging, contingency allowance, engineering design and contract inspection, administration work and materials. 

Funding sources include about $14.9 million from the county’s capital budget from 2025 to 2028. 

The town’s capital budget from 2025 to 2028 will cover $5.35 million. 

Both parties were successful in receiving Housing Enabling grants from the province for a total of just under $7 million spread out until 2028, and a one-time total of $1.15 million from the Canada Community Building Fund in 2027. 

The last grant supporting this project is the Housing-Enabling Water Systems grant at $4.46 million. 

County council will consider the matter on Jan. 29.