Thank you, Mr. Neudorf. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I thank Mr. Neudorf for his answer. Could maybe the Minister explain what was the issue by having it only open to one lane if they're not going to be looking at doing capital on it? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Mr. Neudorf.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. As part of that, we did an engineering study on that bridge and determined, as we have done with other bridges, as they were designed 40-50 years ago, they were designed for different vehicles that operate than the truck today and we find that on occasion we do need to put restrictions on; not weight restrictions per se, but speed restrictions for the most part just so that we can ensure that we can maximize the remaining life of the bridges. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Neudorf. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'd like to go on to another area regarding Highway No. 1. The highway goes from the border all the way up to Wrigley. So could the Minister please explain exactly what section of the roads are going to be looked at through this fiscal plan? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Proposed work for 2017-2018 is embankment widening improvements at kilometre 379 to 375, which is involving aggregate production, widening, strengthening and surface preparation. Drainage improvements also on the same kilometres, 379 to 375. Correction, aggregate production in pit at kilometres 389 to 375.6, and then again chip seal is going to be done on the same section, 395 to 375. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm a little confused with what just the section of the road is. I guess I'm trying to understand 379 to 375, is that from what section? What section of that road is it closer to? Is it closer to Wrigley or is it closer to Fort Simpson, or Providence or Hay River? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Could the Minister give us a description of where this piece of road is relative to the communities? Mr. Neudorf rather.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. At the end of the day, at the end of the money that's in the budget for 2017-2018 we hope to have chip sealed from kilometre 375 to 395, and 375 is the Jean Marie River access road where the community's access road joins Highway No. 1, so that stretch would be entire chip sealed then from the access road into Checkpoint. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Neudorf. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I guess I'm a little concerned that we still haven't looked at that from Ndulee crossing to Wrigley. That section of the road, there needs to be some work done on that. So if it's not in this capital plan this year, when do we look at it being put in the capital plan? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The section of road that the Member's asking for is not in the capital plan in this fiscal year. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I thank the Minister for that answer. I guess the second part is if it's not part of this year's plan, when are we looking at fixing the section of the road? Because I've been up and down that road a few times and some days it's good and some days it's an interesting drive. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The challenge moving forward is to get enough funding to do all these sections of roads across the Northwest Territories, and as we move forward we will try to round up the funding that we can do this section of road. But moving forward in the short-term, there is no money to do this section. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll try to move on to Highway No. 7. Could the Minister give a little bit more elaboration on what's happening on Highway No. 7? That's from Checkpoint to the B.C. border. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The proposed work for 2017-2018 on this section of road is produce stockpile material at pit kilometre 75, resurfacing and distress repair from kilometre 53 to 69, and drainage improvements from kilometre 53 to 69. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Thompson.
I thank the Minister for that answer, and my colleague for bringing it to my attention where it was, so I thank him for that. Just the last one, the Lafferty Hall upgrade, when will this work be done? Is it going to be after the season is over or before the season is over? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. That will all happen before next season, so probably next spring. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the Minister for his answer. I believe this will be the last question, unless he gives me a different answer. Is this going out to contract or is this going to be done by the local staff? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. That will be going out to tender. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. I see nothing further from Mr. Thompson. Next I have Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just a couple of questions here. On Highway No. 8, I know we completed a lot of the widening from the border to Fort McPherson, and I was just wondering what the plans are for next year? I know a lot of this has been done, but there is still a number of kilometres that aren't quite finished just because of the crushed gravel that needs to be capped on top of it. I'd just like to know what the plans are for the department on that? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. On the 2016-2017, we're just finishing up the brushing and drainage culvert replacements. What we need for the 2017-2018, we're going to do surface gravel from kilometre 30 to 70 and brushing from 154 to 159, and serving and design kilometre 143 to 154. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. That sounds good. The replacement of the James Creek Highway Maintenance Camp, I'm glad to see that's finally on the books here. I'm just wondering if the department would be willing to work with whether it's Gwich'in Tribal Council or the community, if they're willing to negotiate this contract, would the department be open to that? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. As this is a federally funded program, chances are that this is going to have to be publicly tendered. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think we set a precedent here with federal funding. As you all, the Inuvik-Tuk Highway wasn't put out to tender, so you know, it can be possible to negotiate contracts under the Building Canada as it was with the Inuvik-Tuk Highway. So would the department be willing to do that? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. One of the options we consider is the remediation work of the old site that has to be decommissioned and cleaned up once a new building is built.
The Treasury Board from the federal government has put new rules in place when they give us money for some of these bundles, and part of it is they want to see most of this stuff go to public tender. If we were ever to even consider a negotiated contract, there would have to be a resubmission with a business plan and everything going back to the federal government, and chances are that it could go either way, if they would approve it or disapprove it. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. It's not what I wanted to hear, but at least there's an opportunity for the community to do the remediation work. I'm sure that will be a job in itself, there. Just under bridges, here, I was hoping to see Willow River under there, but it didn't happen this year. Hopefully next year.
The department is doing so well that I think to just fund the remainder of Willow River would really help the community of Aklavik. You know, we're so close to being finished with this project, and I'd just like to see that finished hopefully this year. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'd love to see it within bundle No. 3, too, but I don't believe that's going to happen. Moving forward, we have a great infrastructure deficit in the Northwest Territories, as I've said before in this House.
We could spend every dollar that the federal government has committed to transportation across the country and we'd never meet the deficit of the infrastructure of highways in the Northwest Territories. So moving forward we have to make the best use of our money and we will continue to do so. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Anything further, Mr. Blake?
No, that's about it. That will do the remainer of this. Thank you.
