The design phase will soon begin for a major renovation project at North Bay’s downtown transit hub.

During its regular meeting, Tuesday, North Bay City Council awarded a $145,510 contract to Planmac Engineering Inc. for design services related to planned upgrades in and around the Peter Reid Stop at the corner of Oak Street East and Wyld Street. According to the City, the proposal from Planmac scored the highest of the three applicants and provides the best overall value.

The contract covers design work for ongoing upgrades and repairs to the terminal, including the HVAC units, outdoor pathways, pads and shelters, and some interior improvements at the Peter Reid Stop, including the public washrooms.

Communications Office Gord Young tells BayToday once the design work is completed, the construction will be staged in multiple phases this year and next. “The washroom-related work is expected to be tendered in the fall with construction to follow later in the year,” adds Young.

The Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) Transit Stream will cover approximately 73.33 per cent of eligible costs. Coun. Chris Mayne, the chair of Council’s infrastructure and operations committee noted, “If we’d set off this work to be done in a few more years we might otherwise have to pay for it completely out of our municipal budget.”

Keep reading on BayToday.ca