ATIKOKAN – Atikokan Mayor Rob Ferguson is highlighting the importance of addressing aging infrastructure as work moves forward to replace a collapsed culvert that prompted a boil water advisory and state of emergency in the community.
"Infrastructure issues are so important, but it's kind of behind the scenes, because everybody wants to see something shiny and something new." he said. "You have to do the infrastructure before you could do the roads, before you could do any other building. You've got to make sure the foundation is solid."
Ferguson said in addition to replacing the Mercury Avenue culvert, which experienced a washout in early May, the municipality is fixing the water and sewer line in the area.
The mayor expressed confidence the road will reopen by the fall.
Since the collapse of the culvert, Atikokan has been under a state of emergency.
In July, the contractor hired to do the work mobilized to access and prepare the area for construction. Council was told the affected area would require significant renovation.
"We actually had to divert the river to get the culvert in, which is not, I think, what a lot of people were envisioning," said Ferguson "Now that it's open, we're just going to drop the new culvert in, cover it up and there we go. But we want it to last a long, long time. We want to do it right. So, if it takes a few extra weeks to get it done properly, then that’s what it’s going to take.'
Mercury Avenue is one of the main roads in Atikokan, prompting some criticism over the amount of time it has taken the municipality to install the new culvert and reopen the roadway.
Ferguson acknowledged Atikokan has become "infamous" for paving and beginning construction projects on water and sewer infrastructure months later.
However, he wants to take a more pragmatic approach and get the aging infrastructure done first before paving the road.
"We have until 2026 to use the funding that we have for the pavement. We want to make sure that we've got the infrastructure done before we put that final step on the pavement," he said.
