Work to move utility poles out of the roadway along North Bluff Road between Foster Street and Stayte Road is to get underway next week.
Construction is to begin Aug. 15, and is expected to finish within two months.
According to a city report, the $417,427 (excluding HST) bid by Imperial Paving Ltd. is the lowest of three submitted, and came in at more than $350,000 less than a consulting engineer estimated the project would cost.
Funds for improvements between Stayte Road and Martin Street are included in the city’s 2011 Capital Works Program. The work is to include reconstructing the road base and replacing sections of curb and gutter to “skirt” the utility poles.
City officials acknowledged in April that positioning of the poles was contributing to dangerous conditions for pedestrians and motorists alike. ICBC statistics noted the block between Foster Street and Johnston Road alone logged more than 200 “vehicle incidents” between 2006 and 2010.
While the initial project scope included replacing existing overhead wiring with underground wiring, that aspect has been abandoned.