Although it's only into its first week, a three month long construction project on the Main Street bridge over the Red Deer River has already caused major traffic tie-ups and headaches in town.
Starting last week traffic on the bridge has been reduced to one lane, creating backups in both directions and generally slowing traffic in the downtown core.
Ron Baker, the town's director of operational services, says the work is expected to last about three months.
“It is deck rehabilitation. They are essentially rebuilding the deck; the actual driving surface is what they are tearing out of there. There is other stuff they are doing too, but the major thing is deck rehab.
“They are actually tearing the deck off. They are tearing the asphalt off and carrying it away and bringing new stuff back.”
Plans are in the works to have the bridge completely opened (two lanes) temporarily during the August and September long weekends.
Baker says there have been numerous complaints from drivers and others since the project got underway.
“We've had lots of complaints, so they are trying to change as people are giving them suggestions and trying to make it work better; but it is going to be an inconvenience,” he said.
One area of particular concern is drivers using the right-hand westbound lane to push to the head of the line.
“We are talking to them about that. I told them they need more advanced signage to get people to move over before they get there, because it is aggravating to the other people when someone comes up and squeezes in,” he said.
On the west side, drivers have been coming around behind FasGas and squeezing into the eastbound lane.
When the project first got underway, the flag people were cutting off traffic into the shopping mall on the south side of Main Avenue.
“So now they've changed that so the flaggers are more to the west,” he said.
Mayor Annette Clews says administration is working with project managers to ensure fire personnel who live in East Sundre are able to get across the bridge quickly in the event of emergency fire or rescue calls.
“We put forward a discussion to ensure that that process happens quickly,” said Clews. “We have had the usual complaints about delays in traffic generally, but unfortunately that can't be helped.”
Flag people will be on duty at the construction site from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with traffic lights operating from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
