The Town of Lakeshore is moving forward with a major road project in Belle River.
Council is signing off on a $2.4-million contract with Shea Rock Construction Group to have a new roundabout built at Notre Dame St. and West River St. — right at the bridge in town.
The project is coming in at about $220,000 over budget after only a single bidder came forward.
Lakeshore Mayor Tom Bain says the project is a victim of the bustling activity in the region. "Construction in the area is zooming and booming and they just got their hands full of jobs elsewhere so, right now construction is at a high and when it is, unfortunately, it's not as competitive in the bidding end," he says.
Construction is expected to begin shortly and wrap by the fall.
Traffic will be down to one lane and eventually completely shutdown with a detour setup as construction ramps up
The Notre Dame roundabout is also being called a big test for the future of the traffic measure in the town.
"We're certainly going to be watching this one," says Bain. "This will be a main, really, a decision-maker for us as far as going ahead with other ones but, we are pleased with the one at Puce [Rd.]. We've seen others in the area such as the one in Essex that seem to work very positively."