The long-awaited reconstruction of the crumbling and pothole-scarred section of road along Centre Street North is expected to be underway by early July.
The two-phase $2.2-million project ó which includes replacing all of the underground water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure as well as completely repaving the road's surface from 6th Avenue all the way up to 12th Avenue ó had previously been approved in the 2017 capital budget by council.
"The tender package is quite large for this project," said Jim Hall, the Town of Sundre's operations manager. Creating plans to connect the new underground infrastructure with the existing pipes has been part of the challenge.
"There are quite a few drawings that need to be produced ó that's been the delay."
When he spoke with the Round Up last week, Hall said the tender process was expected to start soon and that contractors throughout the province would then have a period of two weeks to submit their bids. From there, a list will be narrowed down to the most reasonable costs presented as well as the bidding companies' level of expertise before finally being presented to council for final approval, he said.
"We estimate being in the ground in first part of July."
Throughout the rest of the summer, construction on the underground services as well as the surface work will be ongoing, he said.
"We hope to be fully completed by October."
Starting the project after the end of the school year will reduce the impact on the local traffic of families and people who come down the road daily to either walk or drive their children to class, he said.
Additionally, there will be a traffic accommodation plan, he added.
"The lanes won't always be totally closed," he said, explaining an access route has to be ensured for emergency services.
"There'll always be one lane open."
Also, residents who live north of Sundre will be encouraged to come into town through the west via Highway 22.
"We'll try and do local traffic only."
The bulk of the work will be completed this year during the first phase. The second phase, which will be done next year, will largely consist of finishing touches such as the landscaping, he said.
Meanwhile, the operations manager asks for the community's patience as the municipality works to get done the projects outlined in this year's capital budget.
"It may not appear that we're doing these projects around town," but plans are in place to prioritize problems and get them dealt with, he said, adding that residents with questions or concerns are welcome to call the municipality's operations department at 403-638-4707.
