OLDS — Two construction projects at roads in the community are now largely complete, according to Doug Wagstaff, who served as acting chief administrative officer last week.
This past spring, town council allocated $1.84 million for the installation of turning lanes and traffic lights at Highway 27 and 70th Avenue and $6.39 million for construction of a traffic roundabout and related work just south of the cemetery.
During town council’s Nov. 1 policies and priorities meeting, Wagstaff said in the case of the Highway 27 and 70th Avenue project, workers were waiting to receive and install the structures for the lights and to then install the lights themselves.
He predicted that would be done within two weeks.
Wagstaff said the roundabout is “open; it is functioning.”
He said a road built to detour motorists has now been removed and “reclaimed back into a ditch.”
However, the side exits won’t be opened until some time in the spring.
"Access into 68th Avenue will not be there until the spring so that we can ensure that we get any heaving and that kind of thing right there, when it goes from gravel to pavement -- that that’s looked after before that’s opened up completely,” Wagstaff said.
Wagstaff said the area will remain a construction zone until illumination lights are installed there.
He said some landscaping remains to be done as well.
Coun. Darren Wilson asked if construction is complete and all the work orders etcetera have been completed for the municipality's approximately $10 million Operation Centre.
Wagstaff said a salt/sand shed remained to be completed. He later said the hope is the shed will be completed by mid December. In the meantime, the salt and sand is being held in an existing shed.
Construction of the facility, located along 70th Avenue, north of the Cornerstone shopping centre, began in the spring of 2020.
The building was declared basically completed last May, at which time staff began moving into it.
