For those who were told fibre optics were supposed to make work faster, let the proposed Jasper underpass prove to be the exception.

A shovel has yet to hit the ground and the pedestrian underpass is already over budget. News that nervous developers, worried they’d cut fibre optic lines when digging up the earth underneath the tracks, are charging a premium due to the precision required, has upset council. The cost will only serve to strengthen rumblings about the project, who question spending millions of dollars on a hole in the ground.

Mayor Richard Ireland is right to question the 18 per cent hike, as it appears the engineers did their job in attempting to mitigate the risk. The potential for costly delays with this project are huge, and it’s fair for developers to insulate themselves, however there should be a closer meeting of costs.

The news is especially troubling, considering the town was counting on the recession to keep costs down. With such a glut of municipal spending occurring across the province, perhaps the town should be careful in its spending predictions. 

Unless insurance can be found for the contractors, council now has two weeks to decide to go forward with a project that is already $700,000 over budget - or push it back, and hope CN will agree to delay traffic on the tracks at a later date - a task that has proven to be difficult. It will be a true test of council’s support for a project that will help make the town more friendly for pedestrians and cyclists. While the town has continued to voice its support for the underpass, now that they have a legitimate out - will they take it?

There are no guarantees this project will move ahead if it is delayed. If council still supports this project - which could eventually prove to prevent pedestrian/train accidents and could help get more Jasperites out of their cars - the time is now. The grant money is in place, CN is on board and it is a service Jasperites and visitors alike will appreciate the drop in delays. The town is small enough that initiatives that support pedestrian and cyclist traffic should be welcomed.

Much of the money for the project is coming from the Banff-Jasper fund, so there isn’t an immediate tax burden.