City awards Central Avenue streetscape design contract

Coun. Blake Edwards said it is a matter of safety of the downtown but he understood the reluctance to spend almost $700,000 on engineering.

“It kills me to vote on this kind of amount, but it’s the reality of what it costs to do the proper, detailed design,” he said.

Staff have warned council that given the century old water and sewer works under the street, surprises are likely to pop up.

“The bottom line is, the work has to be done. We have pushed it off a long time. The pipes are old, we know it,” Edwards said.

He said that if a pipe breaks, even more money will be spent repairing it as an emergency.

AECOM was selected after the city received six proposals through a request for proposals posted on SaskTenders.

In May, council approved a design direction that would return Central Avenue to two-way traffic between River Street and 15th Street, keep parallel parking on both sides except in front of City Hall and the University of Saskatchewan campus, and create a public plaza between the two buildings.

The plan also includes updated surface treatments such as street furniture, lighting, trees and other amenities. The change would reverse the one-way traffic pattern that has been in place on Central Avenue since 1963.

The project stems from the 2018 Central Avenue Streetscape Master Plan and the condition of aging infrastructure under the downtown corridor. The water distribution system beneath Central Avenue was originally built in 1906 and needs to be upsized to meet current and future demand. Portions of the sanitary and storm systems have also exceeded their service life.

The city says a coordinated corridor-wide approach is needed because underground utilities, surface reconstruction and streetscape improvements are interconnected. Crown utility infrastructure will also be reviewed during detailed design for possible relocation or replacement.

Council’s May decision followed public engagement on the idea of returning two-way traffic to Central Avenue.

The approved $1 million design budget is funded through four sources: $200,000 from the general fund, $200,000 from the Future Infrastructure Reserve, $200,000 from the Capital Roadway Rehabilitation Program and $400,000 from the Capital Utility Fund.

Administration says the remaining budget is expected to cover required investigations and other design-related work, although the full scope will not be known until a gap analysis is complete.

Preliminary design work is expected to come back to council in early spring 2027. The issued-for-tender drawing package is targeted for completion by Dec. 15, 2027.

If the project eventually moves into construction, administration says additional approvals would be required for construction funding, construction administration, site supervision and any other project-related costs identified through the detailed design process.

The motion passed with councillors Dan Brown and Bryce Laewetz opposed. Other councillors pointed out that the project is being managed fiscally and the money was put in the budget last fall.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com

by Susan McNeil

City awards Central Avenue streetscape design contract

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