Roadways will be feeling the love soon as construction season arrives.

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Whitecourt Town Council approved two big projects for the community during last week’s regular meeting. The Street Improvement Program for 2021 includes ten projects recommended through the Pavement Management System. “We use a system that conducts a study throughout the community concerning the condition of roads, and it makes recommendations on ways to address those concerns,” explained Town CAO Peter Smyl.

The flagged areas for improvement are 47 Street (from Graham Road to 25m north of Harold’s Hollow), Harold’s Hallow (to the end of the bulb), the cul-de-sac of Noyes Crescent, Atkinson Crescent, 39 Street (at the entrance to River Valley Estates), Baxter Crescent and Feero Drive, 47 Street (from Sunset Boulevard to 135m North of Sunset Boulevard), 42 Avenue (from Highway 43 to Kepler Street), Blueberry Drive (from Park Drive to the end), and 33 Street and Caxton Street. Work will also occur at water main break sites in the downtown area, trail repair in Centennial Park, and walkway connectors in Rotary Park. “The unit rates are great. We wish we could book those in for a long time,” said Smyl. “It’s great to see a big program happen thanks to additional funds that were given by the provincial government over the last year.”

Councillor Ray Hilts spoke about the repairs planned for Centennial Park and encouraged more. “There are locations that, I’ll be honest, are pretty unsafe in terms of the quality of the pavement and the crevices and the frost heaves. I passed a gentleman and his young baby girl yesterday and saw them go past and was concerned that they would hit one of these frost heaves because they are that egregious. My concern is that we’ve waited this long to repair these. These are not little bumps. Taken at any speed, especially young people or families, they are going to hit the deck.”

Councillor Hilts stated that he was frustrated and concerned that people would be injured. “I would really like to see our staff assess these locations this year and do something more permanent in their repair so that we don’t have any accidents, whether they have happened yet or not, I don’t know, but after seeing what I saw yesterday, I don’t want us to wait around anymore and see something happen. I am glad we are putting some money into the trail system and some of the paving, but I would encourage our leadership to get out and look at some of that stuff and see with their own eyes what we are dealing with.”

Smyl said that they have identified issues on the trail system and will be keeping a closer eye on needed improvements. “We are starting to incorporate those inspections similar to our sidewalks inspections because we have so many people of all ages utilizing those trails. It’s not just a bush trail anymore. It has been taken up to that higher standard. It’s definitely something we are going to be working on.”

The seven elected members voted unanimously to award the Street Improvement Program projects to Knelsen Sand and Gravel for an estimated $620,266.22 plus tax. They also authorized additional work required to be undertaken at the unit rates outlined in the contract within the limits of the available budget.

During the same meeting, Whitecourt Town Council had a second and connected topic brought forward to them concerning the paving of Dahl Drive. The project involves fixing drainage and erosion issues while also fixing the top layer with fresh resurfacing. “It’s a project that we were going to do over a couple of years. We were fortunate to be successful in a provincial grant that allocated just over 1.2 million dollars. So, we can do it as one complete package,” explained Smyl. He said that doing it all at once would save them money on pricing and mobilizations. Add that to other cost-saving piggybanks, and they were able to add something to the project previously held for a future date. The traffic study had highlighted the Dahl Drive and 41 Street corner as needing improvement, and now, rather than waiting a couple of years to fix it up, council added it to the 2021 project.

The budget for the work at Dahl Drive is $1,605,393 plus tax, and the winning tender from E Construction was $1,411,802.95. Smyl said that the difference between the two would get used up with other costs. “There are still outside costs. We have to put extra signal lights on at the corner, and there’s going to be some landscaping and other expenses tied to the project.”

Councillor Hilts asked what residents could expect with closures on Dahl Drive during the construction period. Smyl said that they would be closing partial lanes as they work along the hill. “We’re going to attempt to not close Dahl Drive, and if we do, then it’s for a short time period. It’s paving, and it’s four lanes, similar to a highway scenario, so we should be able to accommodate that traffic flow during construction.” Director of Infrastructure Services Kamruz Zaman said that Dahl Drive would look a bit different. “You will see a dedicated turning lane at the intersection of 41 Street. It will look very good.”

Councillor Schlosser said he was glad to see the project happen and credited the administration for their work. “I’m happy to see the improvements go-ahead for our community.” Construction should last eight weeks, but as with any project, things undoubtedly can happen. Patience from residents is appreciated.