The City of Moose Jaw announced at a special meeting of City Council Friday morning that they will be taking over the completion of unfinished road construction on High Street.

The motion was approved to remove the contractor hired to perform water main replacement on High Street in 2017. The Engineering Department will take over the remainder of the work as permitted.

“Having the City take control of this project is in the best interests of the affected property owners and all Moose Jaw residents,” said Mayor Fraser Tolmie. “We will ensure High Street is completed in an efficient, sustainable manner and we appreciate everyone’s patience during what has been a frustrating experience for all involved.”

High Street, from 3rd Ave NW to 8th Ave NW began in July of last year and is a part of the Phase 2, 20-year, $117 million Water Main Replacement Program. The contract completion date for the stretch of road was November 30, 2017.

Site testing, excavation and compaction work will need to be completed on High Street before it can be paved. City crews will be on High Street Tuesday morning to perform maintenance on the sections that have been impacted the most severely, along with lateral and main sanitary line camera operations.

The City says they will communicate a construction timeline to affected property owners and businesses once one is established.