By Jeff Labine

Delaying Marquis Road extension pondered

May 12, 2017 | 12:00 PM

Hooking Lake Estates to Marquis Road West is going to cost nearly a million dollars.

The extension of Marquis, which would run from Fourth Avenue to Seventh Avenue, would connect the subdivision of South Hill but cost $875,000. The money to cover the project would come out of a reserve fund.

It’s not clear when the subdivision will be moving forward. Council learned on Thursday night during a budget committee meeting the development depends on lot sales. So far, roughly three of the 16 lots have been sold thus far. 

Ward 2 Coun. Terra Lennox-Zepp wasn’t sure if now was the right time for this big price tag project to move forward.

“This is a large ticket item,” she said. “Citizens have been speaking to me about these big ticket items. What I’m hearing from citizens of Prince Albert, clearly, is we’re in budget restraints and this is a project that could wait for a future year perhaps when we have better funds.”

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Wes Hicks, the city’s manager of capital projects, said a lot of work has already been completed. He explained the underground work finished last year leaving only the surface work, which was planned to be done this year.

Hicks added the main push by the city is to get the extension to at least Sixth Avenue.

“This started in 2005 and the road use to be open as a gravel road,” he said. “It was closed because of the dust. So now the plan, as noted in the transportation master plan, is to finally complete this portion of the roadway that has been waiting approximately 12 years to be completed.”

He said the extension would also take traffic off Mahon Drive.

Mayor Greg Dionne said there’s no way of knowing how long the city can hold off on the project.

“We’re going to go into budget restraints shortly in 2018,” he said. “If [Lake Estates] says they need it next year then we got to do it next year. Part of the development agreement is they have to have another exit out of the property. They only have one exit now and it’s on to 28th Street.”

He explained the developer is not contributing any money to the extension as it’s part of the city’s development plan.

Hicks added if the project was put on hold, community services wouldn’t be able to move forward as there’s no curb or gutter.

Ward 6 Coun. Blake Edwards wasn’t in favour of delaying the project and said the extension will do a lot to combat traffic congestion in the city.

“Other councils have delayed different things and I just don’t know how we can continue to delay this,” he said.

The budget committee has approved the 2017 land fund budget, which gives projects like the Marquis extension the green light to go ahead.

Jeff.labine@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @labinereporter