Sylvan Lake’s notorious ‘speed bumps’ in the cabin area of Lakeshore Drive and 50A Avenue won’t be altered until after the peak season next summer.
And if the construction work runs over into the spring of 2014, Councillor Sean McIntyre said he’s not concerned.
“My fear of disruption of the Lakeshore greatly outweighs the need to do this before the summer season,” he said while encouraging fellow councillors to support his idea for delaying the work.
Alan Gassor, director of public works, said he’d talked to the contractor responsible for the work and they’d like to get as much done in the spring as possible. The two intersections bordering the south side of Centennial Park would be quick work, he said, but the road would be closed while it’s done.
There’s also a potential for conflict between two different concrete contractors when they get further east since one would be working on finishing the promenade while the other is doing work on the intersections.
“My plea is to wait until September for the whole thing. I understand the value of starting in the spring but we’re only three rain storms away from it not being completed until August,” said McIntyre.
Councillor Dale Plante agreed to the delay stating he’d like to get through another season without construction in the downtown area.
“I’d like to see them done as soon as possible,” said Councillor Rick Grimson. “The next group that’s sitting around here won’t be levelling them, they will be tearing them out,” he predicted in reference to municipal elections next fall.
After discussion councillors unanimously supported a motion to delay the work until fall. Councillors Ken MacVicar and Laverne Asselstine were absent from the meeting.
At their Nov. 13 meeting, councillors were told half the ramps to the raised intersections were not built to specifications, making them steeper than designed. The other half were correct but Gassor proposed they all be torn out and the grade reduced to five per cent which is what was used for the second series of intersections when they were constructed on Lakeshore Drive west of 44th Street. Councillors agreed and approved a $63,000 expenditure for the work with the contractor responsible for those that weren’t correct.
The other option was to replace the eight intersections east of 44th Street at an estimated cost of $91,000 each.