SOMBA K’E/YELLOWKNIFE
Spring still feels more like a concept than a reality in Yellowknife, but RTL Construction Ltd. is ramping up hiring for what RTL vice president of operations Larry Wheaton expects to be a busy season.

Wade Friesen, vice president of YK Condominium Corporation No. 8, stands beside an above-ground, temporary sewer line that had to be put in place in Northland Trailer Park when a section of underground sewer line collapsed – the trailer park's infrastructure is 15 years older than its projected life expectancy, and is falling apart. Work continues this spring on the $19.5 million project. - NNSL file photo

A major project RTL will need skilled workers and labourers for is for ongoing work at the $19.5 million Northland water and sewer project which gets underway again this spring.

“We spent close to $9 million last year (on the project), but the majority of that was material purchase,” said City of Yellowknife public works director Chris Greencorn. “We purchased pipe ahead of time so we wouldn’t be impacted by inflation.”

This year should see a further three to four million of already budgeted dollars spent on finishing upgrades to Stinson, Fairchild and Bellanca Avenue. Most of the work this year will be interior to the Northland park, but there’s work remaining that will impact downtown traffic.

“There’s some work on Franklin we have to do to finish tying in the sewer,” Greencorn said.

“That work on Franklin will impact traffic quite a bit. After that, everything is predominately in the park. It will move onto the next phase inside the park which is installing mains and individual services, as well as a lift station.”

Last year’s work ran into some unexpected delays due to permafrost issues, but the delays didn’t affect the budget.

“We planned for that in contingency,” Greencorn said. “We’re on budget.”

Whether or not the project can stay on budget depends on what crews find when they begin groundwork.

“We’re underground in a part of the city were we’ve never dug before, so we’re not sure what we’re going to encounter,” Greencorn said.

The Northland park is on bog or bedrock, depending on where you stand. Rock could present delays, and bog means substantial excavation and backfill with appropriate fill and pipe-beddings.

City tenders are also out for other municipal water and sewer works.

“There are significant contracts this year,” Greencorn said. “We’ll be on Franklin and Lanky Court. Lanky is complex in access and how we’re going to accommodate people there.”

Other major civil projects planned for this summer include work at the Yellowknife water treatment plant.

The water treatment plant replacement got underway last year with a program of drilling and blasting.