Summer road work in front of bridge could last up to 4 months

The summer road work is needed in this particular area because of the water main blockages and breaks that have happened because of the aging pipes. One water main break happened at the intersection of Second Avenue West and 12th Street West. Additionally, the City has had to repair the sewer mains in front of Stavros Lounge/Zorba’s Restaurant twice in recent years, Hicks said.

“So, it’s better to schedule this kind of repair, than to wait for them to explode in the ground and then have to do emergency repairs.”

The City won’t know exactly how long the work will take until it has a general contractor in place, but the southbound lanes are expected to be closed after the May long weekend until about the July long weekend. The northbound lanes are expected to be closed between the July long weekend to either the August long weekend or the September long weekend.

Hicks said the City doesn’t like to have the work done during the long weekends, because it would affect the long weekend traffic.

The cost to replace the pipes is $1 million, and the surface work will cost $1 million to undertake. Part of the surface work cost will include replacing the asphalt at the intersection of Second Avenue West and 15th Avenue West with concrete. This is to mitigate against the effects of the heavy trucks and cars stopping.

Since Second Avenue West connects Highway 2 south to Highway 2 north, it is considered an urban highway connector. The surface work, therefore is eligible for funding under the provincial Urban Highway Connector Program (UHCP).

The City is seeking funding for the surface work from the province, but right now, it will have to cover the full cost.

“That would be good if the Urban [Highway] Connector Program was able to participate. But, having said that, the Urban [Highway] Connector Program doesn’t have a lot of funding in it,” Hicks said.

To get funding via the program before the project is underway, it has to be pre-approved by the province, he added. The City can apply for funding for surface work on all of the major arterials, as those roads connect to the provincial highway system.

The City has applied for funding under the UHCP for 10 projects, but has yet to hear from the province as to any specific plans it may have, Hicks said. Some of the applications date back to when the City signed on to the UHCP agreement in 2011, so, the City is still waiting to hear from the province about them.

The province, however, is taking a different view.

“To say that there’s no money in the UHCP is definitely an exaggeration,” said Joel Cherry, spokesperson for the ministry of highways and infrastructure on Tuesday.

The province has $8.4 million budgeted to the UHCP for both capital projects and operations and maintenance for 2014-2015.

Cherry said the City of Prince Albert has been a part of the UHCP since 2011. As part of the UHCP policy, the City receives an annual grant – the grants are based on need. This year, the City’s grant is $300,000.

In addition, more than $4 million has been approved for three projects in Prince Albert. The UHCP covered 100 per cent of the emergency bridge repairs related to the cracked girder a couple of years ago. The program has also paid for the full costs of underwater bridge inspections and will pay the full cost of the Highway 55 bridge repairs.

Cherry said right now, the City has submitted two projects for consideration during its most recent call for submissions: another one for the Diefenbaker Bridge, and one for repaving on Second Avenue West. He said they are re-evaluating them and cannot speak to them until the budget is unveiled later this year.

With the work on Second Avenue West moving forward in the busy summer months, the City acknowledges that it will be difficult to mitigate some of the effects on traffic.

“With only one bridge access crossing the river, and it’s the major arterial the City of Prince Albert, and northern Saskatchewan, it’s going to have some major traffic issues, there are not many ways around that,” Hicks said. He said the City would put up signage in the area.

The potential impacts of the coming construction

Robert Dunn is concerned about what up to four months of road construction in front of his Second Avenue West restaurant will do to business.

The owner and manager of Humpty’s has spoken with the City, and talk of water and sewer main replacements on Second Avenue West aren’t unfamiliar to him. Dunn said they’ve been talking about it for a couple of years. The City put the project into this year’s budget.

Dunn has had a chance to talk with City officials about the pending roadwork. He said Mayor Greg Dionne is a proud supporter of his restaurant, and is in Humpty’s often. Dunn said City officials are supposed to meet with him to discuss what they can do for the restaurant while construction is ongoing this summer.

Humpty’s is located right in the middle of the planned construction zone, on the side of Second Avenue West where southbound traffic passes by.

“To be honest with you, I’m getting really tired of all the work being done right in front of my restaurant,” Dunn said. “One of the biggest things is you can’t compensate for the sales that you lose, and the City doesn’t reimburse you for it…”

Dunn has business interruption insurance, but it doesn’t cover planned interruptions, such as this particular pipe replacement project. Since the City is planning the project, under the policy, the City would be responsible for the financial burden, so he can’t file an insurance claim for the sales he’d lose.

Although Humpty’s has a lot of regular customers who will find their way to the restaurant, other day-to-day customers who stop in while they are passing through Prince Albert, may go to a competitor they can more easily access, Dunn said.

The impact of a closure could be “detrimental” to the company, Dunn said. “You know, the bills still keep coming in, regardless to whether … I have $1,000 in sales or I have $5,000 in sales a day.”

Over a four-month period, the restaurant makes anywhere from $400,000 to $500,000 in sales. He anticipates that the effect of the construction work taking place in front of his business could mean he’d lose about half of that amount.

To Dunn, as soon as there’s a deterrent, there’s an impact. When the City was dealing with the cracked bridge girder, the ensuing lane closures led to Humpty’s sales falling by 25 to 30 per cent each month.

The City has spoken to him about potentially opening up the median to allow access, but he’s concerned that he may not be able to keep the doors open because this project will affect the water mains. Dunn plans to meet with the other business owners that will be affected by the project soon as well.

“But, at the end of the day, with all of the construction that’s about to happen, people aren’t going to come through here unless they have to.”

tjames@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @thiajames

by Thia James

Summer road work in front of bridge could last up to 4 months

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