Construction Update
Update November 10, 2023
In spite of the weather, crews have been able to finish the asphalt on the eastbound section from 13th Street to 7th Street and will have everything opened up on Wednesday next week (November 15th). Based on the current forecast they will be line painting next week on Thursday, once both sides of the roadway are opened. The landscaping crew is continuing to place some paving stone, to fill in some of the bigger drop offs along the sidewalk and pathway areas.
Aside from some clean-up work, that’s pretty much a wrap for construction for this season.
Crews will be starting back up next year sometime around May long weekend, depending on the weather. Next season they will finish the reconstruction of the eastbound section from 13th Street to 20th Street and do a rehabilitation of both eastbound and westbound from 20th Street to Elm Street.
Update November 3, 2023
Despite the early snowfall, Maple Leaf has been making good progress toward finishing the eastbound section of road from 13th Street to 7th Street and opening it up for winter.
They continue to pave asphalt and concrete on the main lanes as well as intersections, turn lanes and approaches. The intersection at 12th Street should be fully open by the end of the day today, with the remainder of the closed intersections open by the end of next week.
The underground contractor working on the Land Drainage Sewer upgrades will be temporarily patching the holes on the Crescent, with final asphalt restoration on the Crescent as well as 8th Street, 18th Street and 20th Street to take place next year.
Update October 27, 2023
The season has definitely changed, and the weather closed in on us faster than we would have liked, but like all good Manitobans, we’ll deal with it and keep moving ahead.
The Maple Leaf asphalt crew was able to get three lifts of asphalt down on the main lanes prior to the snow and colder temps, and are concentrating on getting the intersections and approaches open. They are moving ahead with whatever they can get, without sacrificing quality. They have been adding different admixtures to the asphalt to allow them to pave in colder weather and still get the required compactions.
If temperatures don’t improve, the final lift of asphalt on this section may wait until spring, as there are different requirements for the top lift. We’re still hopeful that we will get a warmer day to allow us to place the final lift this year, but regardless the roadway will be open and safe for the winter, along with all the approaches and intersections.
While the asphalt and concrete crew has been working hard on the eastbound section from 14th Street to 7th Street, the underground crew has been working on adding new drainage points at 16th and 17th to ensure everything drains properly and is ready for the spring melt.
Update October 20, 2023
The weather has been favorable this week for construction progress, and we are ready to start paving asphalt on Monday. They will be paving all next week, and part of the following week, as with the new pavement structure they need to pave four separate lifts of asphalt. It’s more time-consuming, but it makes for a stronger and more durable structure long term, as they are better able to compact each lift.
Sometime after 9:00 am on Monday morning, they will be shutting down the intersections at 10th Street and 12th Street in order to pave through, and they will stay closed for the week until they get all the lifts of asphalt, and the intersections paved and safe to reopen.
Monday will be a busier day on site as they will be grinding down some of the old asphalt at 18th Street and 14th Street to make it safer and better for traffic for the winter. They will also be grinding some asphalt at 7th Street where they will be tying into the pavement at 7th Street.
The concrete crew will be continuing to work on sidewalks while paving is happening, along with another crew cleaning up and getting the site ready for winter.
There will be some traffic disruptions during paving and we appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding. Maple Leaf continues to do a great job trying to work around business and resident access while still getting the work completed.
About the Project
City Council is committed to making significant gains on revitalizing Saskatchewan Ave West. We have allocated the resources to properly plan for future infrastructure improvements such as paved parking, curbing and sidewalks and we look forward to working with our Provincial and Federal funding partners to ensure we achieve this major community improvement.
Phase One of the project began in the fall of 2021 and will relocate and renew utility infrastructure to the gravel shoulders along the avenue between 4th Street West and Elm Street. This work will be completed this spring
Phase two of this project will be completed between 2022 and 2024 and will involve rebuilding Saskatchewan Avenue West, including the paved avenue, sidewalks, bike paths, green space, parking spaces, and enhanced land drainage.
A public open house was held in the fall of 2021 to present the project to the public. The city also held online focus groups with property owners directly affected by the project.
No increase in property taxes is expected as a result of this project. The City has been planning for this project for many years and has identified operating funds available from maturing debt and existing resources to service debt payments for this project over its term of 15 years.