Summer weather allows for successful construction season
The municipal works department made hay while the sun shone this summer, according to an update on the city’s construction program on Wednesday.
Hot, dry weather has helped most projects along to completion or kept them on schedule.
“We’re coming out of a very successful summer construction season,” general manager Dwight Brown told the infrastructure committee. “We’re talking about $40 million of construction projects.”
That includes recently begun efforts to rework South Boundary Road, erect a 500metre berm near Industrial Avenue, and renew the Medicine Hat airport’s runway drainage system.
The ongoing work to rehabilitate South Railway Street is the largest single road and storm sewer project this year.
Work there is worth $8 million, including new sanitation and water lines, began in the spring and is progressing generally north from Scholten Hill.
Brown expects to have the majority of work completed before freeze-up, but said accommodating traffic and access to businesses makes for slow going.
Work on the busy road will continue as long as good weather holds, said Brown, adding that some work, such as a top layer of pavement, might need to wait until spring.
“Whenever winter comes, we need to have a finished road that open and safe,” he said.
Committee vice-chair Coun. Les Pearson said the construction has caused some traffic congestion, but he is impressed with what has been done on the narrow, aging road that was badly rippled.
“People are delayed, but when they see a preview of what the project will look like, I think they’re excited,” he said.
The project will eventually result in stable road base, a new surface, and wide pathway the length of the arterial.
Another major road project for surface and underground work along Strachan Road was finished in late August.
Among other highlights, the city’s road overlay program refurbished surfaces totalling 7.5 kilometres at 17 locations that also saw some curb and sidewalk replacement.
Specific to sidewalks, workers addressed 1,000 trip hazards either with cuts or other measures along 1,800 metres of rehabilitated pavement. New sidewalk totalled 400 metres, mostly near the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital. A total of 18 new sloped corners for wheelchairs and strollers were installed.
Major storm sewer work included 4,600 metres replaced or re-lined, while a further 6,800 metres of trunkline was inspected and flushed along with 186 catch basins.
Other highlights from the report:
— Industrial Ave. Berm Phase 1 could be surveyed this week with a spring 2018 completion date;
— Airport work field work should be done this fall with repaving set for the spring;
— Annual bridge, culvert and dam inspections showed no major issues;
— The city’s new storage facility for flood supplies (off 10th Avenue SE) is complete and in progress is the move walls, barriers and bags will move over from the airport.