City can do better explaining major project delays, mayor says

The city needs to do better at helping Edmontonians understand that delays can be expected with complicated projects like the Walterdale Bridge, 102nd Avenue Bridge and Metro Line LRT, Mayor Don Iveson says.

"We can have clear expectations as to timelines for our contractor, and have the penalty clauses built in appropriately, but also be realistic with citizens that with these complex projects, some of them are going to take longer because of unanticipated issues that arise, and that's not unreasonable as long as we're not paying extra," Iveson told reporters Tuesday.

"We're not paying extra on any of these projects that we've talked about, and Metro Lineon the construction side was under budget by $90-million."

Council's executive committee got an update on the $155-million Walterdale Bridge, which won't open now until mid-2017. It was originally slated to open in November 2015, then inlate 2016.

• Walterdale Bridge falls 9 more months behind schedule

Deputy city manager Adam Laughlin said the contractor informed the city on Sept. 8 that the bridge wouldn't be ready to open this year. There had been some earlierindications the project wasn't on schedule, the meeting heard.

He said the delays have been caused by steel arriving late, the need for sophisticated welding, and a longer-than-anticipated process of tensioning cables.

Coun. Michael Walters told the meeting that he and other councillors hear from citizens who "remind us of the sticky narrative that we can't get projects built right,and we can't do it on time."

Councillors get told that"these are major, significant projects for a city's sense of self, and we can't get it done," he said.

City manager Linda Cochrane said nobodytalks about "hundreds" of other city projects, including recreation centres,that do open within the promised timeframe.

Too 'optimistic on delivery'

But for high profile, complicated projects that are reliant on other contractors, "what Ithink we do badly is be optimistic on delivery," Cochrane said.

"[The Walterdale bridge] is a very well managed project, but we haven't done a good job [of telling] a story about the delay," she said. "It's been managed appropriately but it's not been timelined appropriately."

Laughlin told the meeting the steel deck isnow installed and concrete is starting to be poured over top of it.

Over the winter, the separated shared-use path will be fixed in place and hung from one of the arches. The path and bridge will open sometime next year after the deck has been waterproofed and paved with asphalt, and joints on the arches have been painted.

Of the total budget,$120 million has been expended. The project remains on budget. The contractor has been paying $10,000 per day in late penalties since June and that will increase to $17,000 per day at the end of October.

"We're reaching a point where we'll have to withhold payment on the basis of those damages that have been accumulating,"Laughlinsaid.