Reconstruction on Picton Main Street is being pushed back to see the project retendered.
Council in Prince Edward County voted on Tuesday night during their regular council meeting to cancel the contract for this year and to retender in six or seven months.
Project Manager Joe Angelo said two submissions were received for the project on Main Street from Bridge Street to Spencer Street and both came in significantly higher than anticipated.
Angelo stated retendering may result in lower unit prices and an increase in the number of prospective bidders.
The proposed work included the reconstruction of sanitary and storm sewers, watermain construction, road base and pavement reconstruction, curb and gutter reconstruction and sidewalk reconstruction.
The two tender submissions received were from Akman Construction Inc. at a cost of $7,765,185.65 and from R.W. Tomlinson Limited at a cost of $8,300,561.90.
Councillor Bill McMahon asked staff how their project cost estimates could be so significantly off.
Angelo said they based their project estimates on previously conducted work from 2019 but when the design work was completed in 2021 the underground work was found to be much more complex and construction costs had increased due to COVID-19.
