LAC LA BICHE - Lac La Biche County officials were downtown last week, handing out flyers to local merchants and explaining an extension to the end-of-October deadline previously announced for the current phase of the Main Street Revitalization Project.
As reported first two weeks ago by Lakeland This Week, the new deadline to re-open the roadway that runs in front of two-dozen downtown businesses between 103 Street and 102 Street is now mid-November. Municipal staff are now telling residents that November 15 is the specific target date to re-open the roadway. The construction project has closed the entire block of the downtown corridor since May.
The construction work is part of a three-phase, $32.5 million project to replace all the aging underground infrastructure along the downtown Main Street from 105 Street to 101 Street. The project will also upgrade surface features and add new design elements along the way. The entire project will be completed in 2025.
One of the main reasons for the extended deadline on the current phase of the project, municipal officials say, was unexpected rainy weather during the summer.
Lac La Biche County Ward 7 councillor John Mondal, one of two elected officials who represents the hamlet of Lac La Biche, said this summer saw a cumulative total of about three weeks’ worth of unexpected rain delays. However, despite these setbacks, he is confident ... barring any further weather delays.. that contractors will be able to achieve their new target.
“Our contractors, project engineers, and County Administration are evaluating the present phase: they are asking questions like what were the challenges and shortcomings, and how will we fix these in the future?” Mondal said.
One of those challenges, continues to be supply-chain and inventory issue. While a temporary paved surface and line-painting are expected to be ready by the new deadline, many other features of the project will not be.
No streetlights, no trees, no traffic lights
A shortage of material supplies has resulted in the delay of the installation of permanent traffic signals for the intersection of 103 St. and 101 Ave. Since materials will not be available until December of this year or into early 2024, temporary traffic signals will be put into place through the winter months until permanent ones will be installed.
Additionally, the decorative trees and streetlights will also be bumped to 2024. According to a recent report released by Lac La Biche County, the tree delay is to ensure that mature trees will be able to take root and survive, so they will ]be planted in the spring growing season. The new streetlights are currently unavailable, say municipal staff, and are on back-order. In the interim, the old light standards will be reinstalled temporarily.
The installation of these aesthetic elements may result in localized traffic disruptions from 103 St. to 102 St. in 2024.
Mondal says the public will be kept informed of the progress.
“We’ll be sharing the scope of the next phase with all affected business owners, and we intend to continue providing as many opportunities as possible for two-way communication between business owners and our project team.”
The municipality has been hosting regular drop-in update meetings for residents. The next meeting is slated for Wednesday, October 11 at McArthur Place. Residents can attend anytime between 4 pm and 6:30 pm.
According to Mondal, leading up to the latest disruptions, the response from residents and business owners in the construction zone has generally been positive.
“They’ve been happy with the contractors’ accommodations and assistance throughout the construction period, and they’re looking forward to seeing the finished product,” he said.
The next phase of the Main Street project will begin next spring, closing a portion of Main Street from 102 Street to 101 Street. The final portion of the project — from 101 Street to 100 Street is scheduled to be completed in 2025.
