Road construction season is coming up in Red Deer with $14.6 million of planned upgrades, which will require some lane closures and driving delays.
A multitude of roadway preservation and reconstruction projects will soon be getting underway, said Greg Sikora, manager of Parks and Public Works for the City of Red Deer. While these will all start up on different schedules, they are targeted for completion by the end of October.
The biggest roads projects this summer are slated for Taylor Drive and 30th Avenue.
The Taylor Drive micro-surfacing project will span from 77th Street and Kerry Wood Drive and involve work on the north and southbound lanes. Micro-surfacing is a preventative preservation treatment that is thinly applied to the top of roads by to seal surface cracks.
Sikora said city roadways are inspected on a three-year cycle and each road is rated for repair. When a surface is rutted and cracked but doesn’t yet need major structural work, then it’s slated for rehabilitation — which is what will be happening on 30th Avenue.
This pavement rehabilitation project will involve both north and southbound lanes, spanning roughly from 22nd Street to Avery and Lees Streets. The work will include repairing concrete curb and gutters, and laying down asphalt concrete pavement.
Numerous smaller projects will also be happening throughout the city, including parts of Ross and 55th Street, and all of Spruce Drive.
This includes 11 “roads in need” projects, lined up for extensive pavement replacement — mostly in residential areas from Morrisroe to Kentwood.
Seven bridge and culvert repair projects are planned, mostly for creek crossings. But the Taylor Drive bridge over the Red Deer River is also on this repair list.
Sikora’s map indicates 53 catch basin repairs sites and 134 manhole adjustments to “improve ride-ability on select streets.”
This year’s list is no more extensive than usual, said Sikora. “We invite the public to the City’s web page to view the most up to date construction projects that may result in traffic disruptions,” he added.
This map can be viewed on reddeer.ca by selecting City Services / Roads / Construction Season / Traffic Impact Map.