The Town of Sundre will be undertaking an important $2.2-million project this year to rebuild pothole plagued Centre Street North from 6A Avenue NE to 12th Avenue NE.
The Town of Sundre will be undertaking an important $2.2-million project this year to rebuild pothole plagued Centre Street North from 6A Avenue NE to 12th Avenue NE.
The road will serve as the municipality's north gateway to welcome visitors and residents alike to our beautiful community. This is something to be excited about. The cost might seem high, but when you consider the benefits, you discover that it is an essential investment to prepare for future growth.
Once completed in 2018, Centre Street North will feature new and improved infrastructure such as larger water and wastewater pipes to prepare for future development north of 12th Avenue and on the west side of Centre Street; and it will include connection to pathways for residents, wider lanes, and a new beautifully landscaped boulevard installed in 2018. Although during this particular project Centre Street will keep its current two lanes that will simply be widened, in the future — possibly decades away — the road will have an easement to allow it to be expanded to four lanes.
Investing in this project is important. Not only will it allow for the continued future development of the north end of Sundre, but it will also help to improve property values and the image of the community as whole.
The project is an exercise in economic development-oriented planning and place building. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities has calculated that, in terms of dollars generated for municipalities, infrastructure investments in Canada typically provide a return on investment of about 20 per cent. This means that for each dollar invested, municipalities can expect an eventual return of $1.20 to the community GDP.
Our community is no different.
And based on the strategic value of the development, we can hope for an even greater return down the road once further north-end developments happen.
Planning and preparing for as well as developing this type of project cannot happen quickly. This project has been a work in progress for about a year now. First, the municipality came up with a vision for the roadway. It was from this rendering that our engineering consultants were able to plan the details and prepare a plan for construction companies to make happen. There are many steps required, including conducting an environmental impact analysis, engineering the designs, and planning for the execution of the project. As of the Round Up's press date, the tender for the project will have been released and we will hopefully begin receiving proposals from construction firms shortly. The final bid will be selected this summer during the week of July 3.
Shovels could be in the ground as soon as July 10. During the course of construction, traffic along Centre Street will be accommodated. The project is expected to take 13 to 15 weeks to complete this year, with the landscaping portion happening in the spring or summer of 2018.
For information on this project and how it might impact you, contact the town office at 403-638-3551.
- Allan is the Town of Sundre's economic development officer
