Short seasons and early tenders

“The other cute game [the federal government are] playing, is that if this money gets approved, it could be eight, 10, or 12 weeks coming,” explains the Premier. “We have to start on this now because we have a short season in Labrador.”

– The Aurora, April 23, 2007

The Aurora: Let’s talk about the Trans Labrador Highway. Where is the roadwork? Where is the hardtop? Are the tenders even out?

Minister Hickey: No, the tenders are not out. But I tell, today, in a last desperate effort, we have faxed off a letter to Minister Cannon reiterating the commitment he has made and reiterating again the short construction season requesting him to come to table. This is the last time I will be making contact with the federal minister before we go to tender. The tenders are just about ready, I checked with my officials this morning, not this week but the following week the tenders will be in the paper. We will be doing construction on the Trans Labrador Highway in Labrador West, Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Churchill Falls this summer.

– The Aurora, June 11, 2007

The provincial government announced $1.95 million to fund road and bridge work in the upper Lake Melville area on April 2 - just missing April Fool’s Day - and one million of that is supposed to be spent on Route 520 alone, but no work has started yet. Tenders weren’t called until the end of June and the deadline doesn’t close until later this week - the winner should start resurfacing soon afterwards and be finished by the middle of October.

– Michael Johansen, The Aurora, July 23, 2007

As of Thursday, July 19th, the technical package necessary for any contractor to create a bid for a construction contract on the western end of the Trans Labrador Highway was still “unavailable,” confirms Terry Curran of H.J. O’Connell Construction.

The firm, checking daily for the various packages, says that weeks after the Premier flew in to announce the tenders, only two of the three packages for the various Trans Labrador Highway road work projects had become available, both of them in the Lake Melville district.

Says Curran, “The package for the upgrade and widening between Happy Valley - Goose Bay and Churchill Falls became available to staff in our St. John’s office on July 13th with a closing date of July 25th. The regular maintenance work for the area between Wabush and the Quebec border came available on the same day, Friday the 13th, but that has nothing to do with the Trans Labrador Highway section.”

– 53 North

Though Labrador West is well into its short construction season, a tender for roadwork is leaving some wondering and waiting.

Last month (June 27) the provincial government announced it would spend $15 million on the Trans Labrador Highway (TLH) this year. Most of the work would involve widening the shoulders on 50 kms on Lab. West’s side in one tender and another tender for 50 kms of shoulder on the Goose Bay section. A third tender has been issued for an eight km section of hardtop near Churchill Falls.

The tenders closed for the Goose Bay section last Thursday with five bids in total. The lowest bid came in at $5.7 million from Island Aggregate- a construction company based out of Deer Lake.

According to a spokesperson from Transport Minister John Hickey’s office, the tenders will close for the Churchill Falls section today (July 30).

The project for widening in Labrador West closes Aug. 15, according to Hickey’s office; but, as of last Thursday, tender documents on the section were not yet available.

– The Aurora, July 30, 2007