Perth County awards $760,000 tender for culvert replacement south of Shakespeare

By Galen Simmons

Perth County council has awarded a contract worth just over $760,000 for the replacement of a culvert on Perth Road 107 south of Shakespeare, a project that will require a full 19-day road closure later this year but is expected to come in well under budget.

At its April 2 meeting, county council accepted the tender results presented by director of public works Bill Wilson and awarded the contract to Cope Construction & Contracting Inc., the low bidder, at a cost of $760,785.80 excluding HST. The project had been budgeted at $1.3 million in the county’s 2026 capital budget, meaning the accepted bid is significantly below the approved funding amount for the work.

“This project includes the replacement of a cast-in-place (culvert) that was originally constructed in 1950,” county public works director Bill Wilson said. “Over its 75-year service life, this structure has developed several condition-related concerns which have been documented in several OSIM (Ontario Structure Inspection Manual) reports.”

The culvert that will be replaced is on Perth Road 107 between the CN Rail line and Perth Line 33, where the existing concrete culvert carries the Shakespeare Municipal Drain beneath the roadway. The culvert has been identified in multiple inspections as requiring replacement due to structural deficiencies related to age, alignment issues and deterioration of the existing footings.

According to the report presented to council, the replacement culvert will feature a pre-cast concrete box design measuring 3.6 metres in span and three metres in rise, providing improved alignment with the watercourse and increased flow efficiency through the structure.

“This will support better flow through the site and the cast-in-place structure provides a service life of up to 100 years,” Wilson said.

While staged construction was initially considered to allow traffic to continue flowing during the work, the county determined that approach would significantly increase both project costs and construction timelines. Instead, Perth Road 107 will be fully closed between Perth Line 33 and Highway 7/8 for 19 days to allow the culvert replacement to be completed as efficiently as possible.

A detour route utilizing Highway 7/8, Perth Road 101 and Line 33 will be established and maintained for the duration of the closure.

Construction timing is also subject to environmental regulations associated with the Shakespeare Drain, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA). In-water work is only permitted between July 15 and March 15, meaning construction is expected to begin after mid-July and be completed no later than Nov. 6.

Fifteen bids were submitted through the county’s online procurement process prior to the March 17 deadline, with staff and the county’s consulting engineer reviewing submissions to confirm compliance with bonding, insurance and technical requirements.

The report notes Cope Construction & Contracting Inc. has demonstrated experience completing similar bridge and culvert projects for other municipalities including the City of Sarnia and Lambton County, and has received positive reference checks supporting the company’s suitability for the work.

The culvert replacement is being completed in advance of broader road rehabilitation work planned for this section of Perth Road 107 in 2028.

Additional project costs, including engineering, permitting, quality-control testing and contract administration, will be managed separately but are expected to keep the overall project within its approved budget allocation.

Electronic message boards and project signage will be used to notify motorists of the upcoming closure, and updates will be provided through the county’s website and social media channels as construction approaches.