After Canada Day celebrations in Olds wrap up, a major campaign of water line, sewer and road replacements will begin in the community.Workers are tentatively scheduled to begin such activities on 53 Street near Ecole Olds Elementary School on July 2 and work begins on a stretch of 50 Avenue in downtown Olds on July 15.Scott Chant, the Town of Olds' interim operational services director, said the town wanted to wait to begin the 53 Street project until after the school year had ended so as not to disrupt activities at the elementary school.The project was first on the list for replacement work, he added, because the neighbouring Horizon School will resume classes in August.As for the downtown project, Chant said the town wanted to wait until the June rainy season and the Summer Oldstice celebration were over to begin work.Water, sewer and road infrastructure replacement activities on 50 Avenue will extend from its intersection with 50 Street south to 52 Street.Work crews will completely close one block of 50 Avenue to vehicle traffic at a time for a period of 20 to 25 days.Chant said the town has worked to minimize the disruption to businesses by keeping sidewalks open for pedestrians while the road is closed.Sidewalks will remain open for pedestrians until roadwork is completed and crews will install 1.8-metre fences around the “deep excavation” pit in the roadway for safety, he added.Once crews are ready to work on the sidewalks in a particular block, he added, businesses in that area could have to close for a day unless those businesses have an alternate entrance away from 50 Avenue.Chant said the project is expected to take 44 days and crews won't be working on Sundays.During construction, residents and visitors are encouraged to park in free lots at 49 Avenue and 50 Street, and 51 Avenue and 52 Street.The next part of the project involves repair and paving work on 70 Avenue south of Highway 27 scheduled for the fall if there is enough money left over in the project budget, Chant said.The budget for the entire project is $2.8 million with cash coming from provincial Municipal Sustainability Initiative funding, federal gas tax funding, municipal utility rate and taxation funding and out of the town's street improvement program.The general contractor for the project is Calgary's Rubydale Asphalt Works Ltd.Chant said businesses will receive a handout detailing the scope of the project before work [email protected]
