County speeding up work on Wellington Main

The municipality is accelerating construction on the Wellington trunkline project, planning a ramped-up schedule for the new trunk watermain and trunk sanitary sewer to reopen Wellington Main Street to traffic several weeks earlier than anticipated.

“We are striving to minimize the impact this work has on the driving public, local residents, and the business community of Wellington,” said Corey Engelsdorfer, councillor for Wellington. “Finishing the work more quickly on Wellington Main Street is in the best interest of the village, as we can get this main thoroughfare open before the high traffic season.”

Additional cost associated with the accelerated construction will be covered by the contingency built into the project budget approved by council.

The municipality plans to double production on the project with two 12-hour shifts five days a week:
The day crew will work 7 a.m. – 7 p.m., Monday – Friday
The night crew will work 7 p.m. – 7 a.m., Sunday – Friday . Construction lighting will be required in order to illuminate the construction site during night shifts.

The first night crew shift is to begin at 7 p.m. Sunday, March 9.

It is hoped the accelerated timeline moves up the reopening of Wellington Main Street to early spring 2025, from late spring.

Currently, people must detour around the closure between Cleminson Street and the entrance to the water and wastewater plant.

The full closure of Wellington Main cannot be avoided because the existing sanitary sewer and watermains are located within the road. The design team did look at options to keep one lane open during construction, but it was decided a full road closure is necessary due to the required depth needed to install the new gravity sanitary trunk main. A bypass lane was not possible because of the location of existing surface and underground infrastructure including hydro and gas lines.