By Liam Verster

Potential Construction Delays

Rio Grande Bridge replacement facing possible delays after contractor defaults

Jun 22, 2021 | 11:57 AM

The replacement of the Rio Grande Bridge could potentially be delayed by a full year after DCL Construction Services Ltd. indicated to the County of Grande Prairie that it was defaulting and would not work on the project.

The initial plan was for the new bridge access to be completed by August 2022, and then have the old bridge salvage done by March 2023.

However, the construction company not being able to fulfill the contract has put the project at risk of being delayed.

Dale Van Volkingburgh, the Director of Public Works for the County, says that’s because there is a limited window in which some of the work can actually be done.

“The in-stream work, because it’s a fish-bearing river, there’s only certain times of the year that you’re allowed to work in there, and that’s usually in the wintertime,” he said.

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“So that’s the time constraint for the new contractor to build and get everything prepared, so that he could work in that in-stream type of work that leads into the permanent requirements.”

He adds the in-stream work is just one part of this project, and that preliminary work like roadwork and bridge abutments could still go on if they had a construction company ready to do the work.

If that initial construction doesn’t get finished before the winter window opens, Van Volkingburgh says the project could be delayed until they have the next opportunity to do in-stream work.

The County has hired a bonding company to manage the contracts, which will now have to find a new construction company for this project.

“They’re negotiating with the second bidder within the contract to formalize if there is any way that they could get into an agreement. If they can’t they’ll have to possibly re-tender the project.”

The County has already allocated $6.97-million towards this work, and Van Volkingburgh says because they have put bonds on it, the County won’t be at risk of facing any other expenditures.

“If a new contractor is more expensive than what this bid was, then the bonding company has to bridge that gap.”

Meanwhile, the condition of the existing Rio Grande Bridge, located on Range Road 121 south of Township Road 704, is fine for use by the general public, though there are some pre-existing restrictions involving height and width that remain in place due to it being a canopy-style bridge.