Motorists can expect delays along Ridge Road (Road 32N) after Victoria Day. That is because all eight miles will be getting 40 millimetres of asphalt overlay.

But Hanover Reeve Stan Toews says this is different from their original plan. Toews notes council had hoped to spend $700,000 this year to improve three miles of Ridge Road and then to rebuild one mile of Hanover Road.

Toews says tenders for the Ridge Road upgrade were not what they expected.

"Well under budget," he says. "Almost one hundred thousand dollars for the three miles."

In fact, Toews says the price for 40 millimetres asphalt overlay was only slightly more than for micro-seal. He notes they haven't seen that kind of prices in probably 15 years.

Council then had a decision to make. At its May 10th meeting, it requested the municipality contact Bituminex Paving of Winnipeg which had the low bid and see what they would charge to do the entire eight miles of Ridge Road. They came back with a price of $788,175.

Toews says council held a special meeting Tuesday to make a decision. Councillors were told by Chief Financial Officer Don Dowle that from a financial perspective it makes sense. He says the added cost of both patching and micro-sealing versus complete asphalt resurfacing is only $25,000 and this option provides superior results.

Council decided to go ahead with 40 millimetres of asphalt overlay on all eight miles of Ridge Road. As a result, the Hanover Road project has been postponed. But Toews says it should still happen within the next two years. The added cost for this year's work will come out of their Gas Tax Reserve.

The contractor plans to begin work on Ridge Road right after Victoria Day. It is expected to take about one week to complete the work and motorists can anticipate pilot vehicles and delays. Ridge Road handles about 2,000 vehicles each day.