A reconfiguration project involving major downtown transit hubs in Barrie, Ontario, is increasing by $1.7 million after the contaminated soil discovered on the transit property was three times more than city staff estimated and requires further archaeological investigation.
The staff report states that the City of Barrie had budgeted for the removal of approximately 1,150 m³ of contaminated soil from the Barrie Allandale Transit Terminal, but as excavations progressed, the actual amount of soil that failed to meet Ontario regulations exceeded 3,250 m³.
Soil contaminants may include hydride-forming metals and various hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds on the former railway site.
The development of the city’s historic Allandale train station will also see costs increase by $600,000 as local officials attempt to address the findings of an archaeological assessment that requires followup. Items of historical significance may be present on site and a burial site investigation is now required. Stage 2 construction monitoring will require the city’s archaeologist to monitor on-site soil disturbance, and includes the option for Indigenous groups to participate in construction monitoring.
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The train station property has been at the centre of legal disputes for more than a decade. Previously, archaeologists have found evidence that the site was once a First Nation settlement dating back to the 1600s.
