North Bay Main Street revitalization moving ahead with $9M budget

Reconstructing Main Street, a project that has been in the works in North Bay since before the pandemic, will break ground in a few weeks.

City officials told CTV News that the project should start no later than May.

In March 2022, the construction cost was pegged at $6.2 million, but will now be closer to $9 million. Of the five bids received, Sudbury-based MCA Contracting Ltd. was the lowest at $8,850,335, followed by North Bay’s Kenalex Construction Co. Ltd. at $8,898,310.

North Bay Deputy Mayor Maggie Horsfield said the city is required to award MCA the contract.

"As much as we want to see local companies get the contract, the regulations are very stringent,” Horsfield said.

“We're not allowed to choose a company (based) on their geographical location … It really has to meet a number of parameters in the scope of what we're trying to accomplish. So the price is one of those pieces but also has to do with their entire bid process."

Horsfield said the project is being done in stages, adding that it will take about two years to complete.