City hall is expanding the time its engineering crews work in a day by four extra hours so it can upgrade roads and install new cast iron pipes without inconveniencing the public.
The municipality plans to focus on 24 areas during this year’s road renewal and infrastructure renewal programs, with engineering crews to work from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on 17 spots. However, there are seven locations where crews will start work at 5 a.m. and continue until midnight:
- Main Street north southbound lane from Manitoba Street East to River Street East, 130 metres of water mains
- Main Street north northbound lane from Fairford Street to Manitoba Street East, 300 metres of milling and paving
- Main Street North from MacDonald Street to Saskatchewan Street East, 300 metres of milling and paving
- Main Street North near city hall
- Thatcher Drive from Grace Street to 16th Avenue Northwest, 520 metres of water mains
- Thatcher Drive southside lane from the East Service Road to Saskatchewan Crop Insurance’s driveway; 400 metres of paving and milling
- River Street East from Main Street North to First Avenue Northeast, 180 metres of water mains
In total, city hall plans to install 1,060 metres of new feeder mains, 2,330 metres of new water mains and 2,825 metres of milling and paving. Also, there is an open house at city hall on Wednesday, March 27 at 7 p.m. to provide more information about these projects.
To accommodate this extra time outside of normal hours, the operations department asked city council during the March 25 regular meeting for an exemption to the noise bylaw so contractors can perform work between 5 a.m. and midnight; council unanimously agreed.
Bevan Harlton, director of operations, said administration chose these seven areas because they are commercial locations and are where residents would be least affected.
“We are looking for ways to expedite the work and have the contractor pursue opportunities to do the work faster and … avoid residential areas,” he added.
Coun. Doug Blanc agreed with the overall list but was concerned that the corner of Ninth Avenue Southwest and Coteau Street West was not included since that is “an extremely busy intersection” that requires upgrades. He wondered whether it would be added.
Harlton replied that administration will discuss that location and determine if it has the resources to perform work there, and if it does, it will consider moving forward.
“This will help speed things up because crews can work a lot quicker with less traffic around,” said Coun. Crystal Froese, before inquiring about how city hall determines which neighbourhoods to work in and whether it notifies homeowners beforehand.
Public works normally notifies homeowners about projects if those activities will affect services, lead to the loss of water and sewer access, or prevent residents from accessing their homes for more than eight hours, said Harlton. However, the department does not provide notice about short-term initiatives.
While he has seen residents raise concerns online about crews working in the evenings, the operations director was thrilled to see staff being aggressive in completing projects since night work is not something the city has done before.
While residents want to see the city address road issues quickly, it would be prudent to notify them beforehand about projects that may continue into the evening and the time it will take to finish them, said Froese. Being proactive would avoid complaints and ensure people who are sensitive to noise can be prepared.
“I know we have lots of potholes to tackle, but I think it would be a good strategy for citizens to know that this is going on with our own crews,” she added.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, April 8.
