A road closed as part of a water and sewer construction project may be shut to traffic until the fall, according to officials with the City of Flin Flon.
The closure of the lower portion of Ross Street, the road going up Sipple Hill, is listed in a notice from the City of Flin Flon to continue until Aug. 5, with a note that the closure “could possibly be extended.”
At the June 11 meeting of Flin Flon city council, councillors said the closure would likely extend past the Aug. 5 date and may easily enter September.
“That’s a lengthy one. I don’t know if we have determined the final date,” said Mayor Cal Huntley.
The street provides a direct link from Third Avenue to Ruth Betts Community School and South Hudson Street, ending at Highway 167 to Creighton.
During the closure, local traffic can access Third Avenue from the top of Sipple Hill by turning onto the back lane near Foster Park, then turning onto the street from Boam Street. Barriers have been put up on Ross Street to make sure no vehicles pass into the construction zone.
Updates to the pump station at the bottom of Sipple Hill – which is owned and operated by the city – include the reconstruction of pipes and valves at and near the plant. It’s one of the first steps in a multi-million dollar water and sewer infrastructure renewal program.
“All the valves are out in front, in the ground. They’re going to take them all out and put them in the building,” said councillor Ken Pawlachuk.
Another part of the program includes improvements to the water tower located on top of the hill. Its trademark blue and yellow facade was removed by workers last week, leaving the steel inner shell exposed during construction.
“It’s a part of the package of capital projects that we’re funded for,” said Huntley.
