Road construction activity on Highway 1A in Cochrane came mostly to a close as the snow flew recently, marking the end of the 2022 construction season.
While not precisely on schedule, the work surrounding Fourth and Fifth avenues proceeded – again, for the most part – without a hitch.
Executive director of development and infrastructure services at the Town of Cochrane Drew Hyndman said the work around the intersections of Fourth and Fifth where they cross 1A is maybe a few weeks behind the original schedule.
“We were hoping to complete everything, but we didn’t get everything completed – there were some delays,” he said.
Hyndman said the work that will connect Fourth Ave. to Fifth Ave., including the retaining wall, the pathways, sidewalks, and lighting – will be complete by next summer.
Then, the work on the Highway 1A and 22 interchange will start up again. Hyndman said the province is working on the tender, which will be posted in December or January.
That key interchange is scheduled for completion in June 2025. There will be detours next year, and eventually, a new four-lane bridge has to be built directly east of the existing one across the railroad tracks.
Part of the delay in town on Highway 1A this year was due to an unfortunate incident which saw a flagman struck by a vehicle, followed by another close call.
Those incidents prompted a review under the Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act, which is a mandatory requirement in such circumstances.
A couple of weeks of heavy rains day-after-day in June also pushed the schedule back.
The Town went on social media this week to thank residents for their patience and understanding in what has been a challenging construction year.
With the season coming to a close, they offered a preview of what Highway 1A will look like as work wraps up for the year.
The key points are: four lanes of traffic on Highway 1A will be opened east of Fourth Ave. to the big hill; two lanes of traffic on Highway 1A will be open west of Fourth Ave.; both 1A intersections (at Fourth Ave. and Fifth Ave.) will be open over the winter.
The speed limit through town on Highway 1A will revert to 50 kilometres an hour (km/h) from 30 km/h.
The speed limit heading down the big hill will remain unchanged at 60km/h.
Work on the Fourth Ave. retaining wall will continue through the winter and the new pedestrian pathways will be open and cleared of snow.
The Town said the progress that has been made to this point has enhanced traffic flow through Cochrane and will continue to increase vehicular connectivity throughout the community.
“This major project has had an impact on everyone in the community; thank you for your patience and understanding, Cochrane,” the Town stated on Facebook.
Council still needs to give final approval to a proposal on what the Fourth Ave. retaining wall will look like. One of the proposed options includes the use of a river rock pattern on the bottom two to three metres of the wall to prevent vandalism and graffiti. The upper portion of the wall would incorporate barn wood pattern materials with an attached “Cochrane” branding using weathered or powder-coated steel material. This option will have accent backlighting to highlight the design elements.
In total, the capital project budget for 2023 is projected to be $26.9 million. This figure is yet to be formally approved.
