The District of Port Edward has approved spending more than $100,000 to ensure the community is ready to handle increased traffic that would accompany a positive final investment decision by Pacific NorthWest LNG.
During the Aug. 11 meeting, council approved a potential expenditure of $106,000 to cover the costs of engineering work on Wampler Way, a bypass road that would run around the town, so that it can be created sooner rather than later.
"We are in discussions with Pacific NorthWest LNG regarding the timing of getting the final engineering finished so that when there is an announcement, we can as quickly as possible tender out the construction of this road so there is as minimal as possible delay in getting it built," said chief administrative officer Bob Payette, noting the road is a partnership between the municipality and the company.
"We're finalizing the cost of getting the final engineering completed as soon as possible and we're negotiating what the cost is and who is going to pay the final five per cent of that engineering cost."
And while council unanimously approved the expenditure, Payette said it may not be needed depending on how ongoing discussions go.
"My goal is to get that covered by other sources of revenue, but this will give us the comfort level of knowing that road can be built quickly," he said.