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Bear Street redevelopment running three weeks behind schedule

With Bear Street redevelopment end date pushed back, Banff administration plans to present council with options on Nov. 23 for a pedestrian zone this winter

BANFF – The end date for construction of Bear Street has been pushed back to July 2021.

The Town of Banff had hoped to complete the $9.5 million project well ahead of schedule by the end of this month instead of Bremner Engineering and Constructions’ contract finish date of spring 2021.

Adrian Field, the Town of Banff’s director of engineering, said construction crews will work into December, then leave the site for winter, with final landscaping and road surfacing starting as soon as the ground thaws in spring.

“We’re going to be about three weeks late. We anticipate the end date is now July 2021,” he said, adding the construction season has been like no other and project timelines have shifted.

“We’re sorry about that and we appreciate everyone’s patience as we go through this very complex work.”

Redevelopment of the 200 block of Bear Street, which has been on the books since the 1992 downtown enhancement plan, aims to help the street become a growing tourist attraction and boost business.

Construction on Bear Street is replacing ageing water and sewer systems, adding planters and a self-irrigation system for more than 100 trees, new streetlights and a pedestrian-friendly "cobble-stone" street. 

There will be no curbs or centre line, and the tile-slab surface aims to create an environment encouraging pedestrians to cross anywhere on the street.

A shared street has its origins based in the concept of a woonerf, which is a Dutch term loosely meaning "street for living," which envisions a better balance of the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, and low-speed motor vehicles. 

"Living streets" have long been a part of European city design and planning. 

Town administration plans to go before council next Monday (Nov. 23), with options for converting Bear Street into a winter pedestrian zone as soon as the contractor leaves the site and removes all equipment and materials in December.

Field said the crushed gravel surface can’t be driven on over winter to avoid frost being pushed into the ground and potentially delaying work in spring, so administration is giving council options for a pedestrian-friendly environment.

“We’re looking at ways to program that space, maybe an ice-skating surface or curling type surface,” he said. “We want to animate the space and make it a nice place until we can resume work in spring.”

One of the biggest hurdles with construction was due to adjustments that had to be made related to uncertainty about the mapping of all aging utility mains and services to each property – some of which were up to a 100 years old.

In addition, Field said that deep utility work could not start based on the original schedule as planned because Bremner Engineering was working on a major road construction project in neighbouring Canmore.

“Deep services crews were well and truly committed in Canmore,” he said, referring to the project involving utility infrastructure at the intersection of Railway Avenue, Bow Valley Trail and Benchlands Trail, as well as installing a new street design in the intersection, and along Palliser Trail, to make it more pedestrian and cycling friendly.

“We didn’t start deep service work here until mid-June.”

The Town of Banff is also running behind schedule because of a delay in signing the contract with Bremner, with administration wanting to check in with council that the project should still go ahead in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We felt we had to go back to businesses and the community and find out if this was still a good idea due to COVID,” Field said. “We heard loud and clear it was, but we didn’t get affirmation until April of this year – and then we started shortly after that.”

While crews are completing as much as possible on Bear Street now to reduce work in 2021, Bear Street ambassadors are stationed to help people navigate the site and provide recommendations for businesses on the street. The original schedule outlined having the pavement down this year, but that milestone was not achieved.

Go to www.brandnewbear.ca/ to see the full project schedule.

Field said redevelopment of Bear Street remains on budget. 

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