The cost for rehabilitation work on the Paul-Émile Lévesque Bridge in Casselman will be a bit more expected.
The United Counties of Prescott-Russell council (UCPR) held a special session January 14 to consider two public works contracts for projects that were included in the 2026 capital works budget.
One of those projects is a plan for rehabilitation work on the Paul-Émile Levèsque Bridge in Casselman. The capital works budget included an allocation of $4 million for engineering design work, construction costs, and other related items for the project.
The lowest bid out of eight received through a public tender call on the project is from KB Civil Constructors Inc., at $4,442,000.77, not including HST.
UCPR Public Works Director Jérémie Bouchard recommended increasing the 2026 capital works budget allocation to $5.4 million and approving KB Civil Constructors for the Casselman bridge contract. The $1.4 million increase to the project amount in the budget would be covered through available capital budget surpluses and a $253,000 contribution from the Municipality of Casselman for municipal utility work.
Bouchard’s report noted that if no further surplus money is available later in the year then the remaining possible shortfall, estimated at $777,200, will be covered through the UCPR’s Road Infrastructure Asset Management Reserve Fund.
Not allowing the capital works budget revision would mean delaying rehabilitation work on the bridge until next year and having to do a revised budget and revised plan for the project.
Last year the UCPR Public Works Department had to deal with some emergency repairs to the Paul-Émile Lévesque Bridge. Rehabilitation work on the bridge was already listed as a priority item in the UCPR’s 2026 Asset Management Plan. Bouchard’s report noted that any further delay to rehabilitation work on the bridge could result in the UCPR having to finance the complete replacement of the bridge and that would be “significantly more costly” than the rehabilitation work expense.
UCPR council approved revising the 2026 capital works to increase the funding allocation for the Paul-Émile Lévesque Bridge rehabilitation project in Casselman.
