Bids for Wiarton's Big Dig project have come in at almost double South Bruce Peninsula's planned budget.
Contractors say they will do the work for $17 million, instead of the estimated $8.5 million.
Mayor Janice Jackson says they tried for four years to be awarded the $3 million dollar grant from the government, and they have a short window of time now to complete the project.
"To turn the grant down, shut down the project, and reapply at a later date, there's no guarantee we would ever get the grant again. And it would take us into another council term and there's no guarantee a future council would have the appetite to take on such a large project," said Jackson.
Jackson adds if the project is postponed another year, businesses on the main street would be harmed even more.
A new round of requests for proposals ends May 8th.
