Mary Street closure now set for Nov. 3-5

UPDATE: The full closure of Mary Street between Elizabeth and East Mary streets in Picton — originally scheduled for Oct. 27-28 — is now set for Monday, Nov. 3 to Wednesday, Nov. 5.

The closure is necessary to install new sanitary and storm piping within the Mary Street and York Street intersection.

An extra day has been added to the closure due to the discovery of additional rock in the intersection.

The road closure is related to the York Street reconstruction project. The municipality is tackling this project on York Street in Picton to ensure nearly 400 residential and commercial properties continue to have reliable sanitary sewer service. This project is a high priority because of the deteriorating condition of a large trunk sanitary sewer that runs underneath York Street.

The project involves replacing the existing sanitary sewer and watermain, installing a new asphalt roadway and sidewalk, and adding a curb and storm sewer to accommodate the curb.

County Council awarded the tender in the amount of $855,941 plus HST for the project on Sept. 23 to Cobourg Development Services Ltd. Council approved the project in the 2024 capital budget.

Picton Main down to one lane in December as York St. re-construction begins

By Sharon Harrison
OCT. 22: The eastbound lane of Picton Main Street is planned to be closed for several weeks this fall. This and other details of how the York Street re-construction project will affect residents and businesses were shared with a recent public at an information session.

Work on the re-construction project, expected to begin imminently, will take place on York Street between Picton Main and Mary streets. (It’s formerly known as William Street). Work is expected to continue next spring, and will not take place during the winter months.

Primarily, the purpose of the meeting was to share details and key dates of the construction scheduling now that the information has been made available by the contractor.

It is expected Main Street will see a single lane closure Dec. 1-12.

However, it is intended that one lane of traffic will always remain open on Main Street with the assistance of temporary automated traffic signals. Additionally, alternate routes (there will be signage) will be available using Walton, King and Paul streets, enabling drivers to avoid the construction area.

The traffic control plan is to maintain pedestrian access, including the nearby crosswalk.

Also, Mary Street is to be fully closed this month, for two days, Oct. 27-28.

Construction began Oct. 20 with the mobilization of equipment etc. Other key dates of note include:
2025:
Oct. 27: Temporary water and sewer bypass pumping on York Street
Oct. 27-28: Full closure of Mary Street
Oct. 27–Dec. 12: Deep servicing work on York Street
Dec. 1-12: Main Street single lane closure
Dec.5: Watermain commission
Dec. 12: Winter shutdown

2026:
(Note: Picton Main Street will not be closed to traffic in the spring once construction work starts up again. The closure of Main Street is expected to only occur this fall).
May 4: Spring start-up
May 11-21: Curb, sidewalk and surface paving
May 22: Project completion, and demobilization.

All dates are subject to change should unforeseen conditions be encountered during the construction schedule.

The project entails replacing the existing sanitary sewer and watermain, as well as installing a new asphalt roadway and sidewalk, and adding a curb and storm sewer to accommodate the curb. The sanitary sewer services serve almost 400 residential and commercial properties in the area.

Described as a “high priority”, the work is being undertaken now due to the deteriorating condition, and the high chance of failure of the large trunk sanitary sewer that runs underneath York Street. The municipality noted that if the sewer fails, staff will have to install a by-pass pump with a large generator running 24/7. The cost of the sewer by-pass would be approximately $17,000 per month.

It was noted that because of long-standing issues with soil stability in the area, and to avoid damaging adjacent buildings, the design team considered unique ways to replace the pipe without digging a trench.

Jeff Shortt, the County’s project manager, described the method being used, the pipe bursting method, saying it will avoid excavation of the site.

Sewer cover 829 to 828 is the most critical section and the deepest (around six metres), he said, as well as noting the historic Regent Theatre on one side (224 Main St) and an historic building (230 Main Street) on the other side.

“The intent would be to put shoring around each manhole which would act as pits for equipment to go down and there would be what is called pipe burstings,” explained Shortt. “There would be a head that would go through the existing pipe and then latch on to a new fused HDPE (high-density polyethylene) pipe, and we would pull and burst the existing pipe out, and at the same time pulling that new pipe into the existing cavity.”

You don’t have to excavate, he said, especially given the known soil conditions and the depth, as well as details of the nearby buildings.

“We can pull a pipe through the existing cavity without excavating. There will still have to be excavation around the manholes. However, it will be properly shored, so there is no soil migration or anything like that.”

He confirmed that while this process isn’t used in all re-construction situations, it is used in difficult or challenging sites like this one.

“It has been used in other areas in downtown corridors like this where there is limited space; it is not a newer technology, we just typically don’t use it.”

Because it uses specialized equipment, Short said there is more expense involved to install using this method, but is worth it when faced with a challenging situation such as an historic downtown area where older buildings are often very close together, and close to critical infrastructure.

“This area is all sand, we suspect, and we have done some past projects in the area, and it has been known to be sandy which is not a good soil as it’s not very stable,” he explained. “So with that, and the limited space there, it would be very hard to open trench. It would be a possibility that you could open trench, but because of the risk with the buildings, we are opting to go with the pipe bursting method.”

He said, the pipe bursting method was specified through the design consultant process and that was the method proposed during the tendering process.

The impact to Main Street is to be relatively short in duration, where Shortt said they are working with the contractor to minimize it even further, so disruption is expected to be minimal.

David MacPherson, the County’s manager of engineering, noted how it is smaller project than many, at only 100 metres of street.

“We are replacing critical infrastructure; it is a trunk main and it is a critical piece, so that is why this project has become a priority, and to get it done,” said MacPherson. “This is one of those asset management lifecycle replacement projects, but it is a critical piece of infrastructure, so it’s a very important project.”

He said they have worked to minimize the impacts on Picton Main Street, noting how it would have been vastly different if it had been planned through the summer, emphasising how the project is now being done at the right time.

The work is being undertaken by Cobourg Development Services Ltd. who were awarded the tender on Sept. 23. The cost of the project, approved by council in the 2024 capital budget, is $855,941 (plus HST).

“It will certainly be an interesting project, and some technologies that don’t typically get used in this area,” added Shortt.

Further information about the York Street re-construction project can be found on the County’s website.