Some of you may have seen the following bulletin.
‘The City of Lacombe is advising residents that beginning as early as May 22 construction crews will be closing Woodland Drive in sections as required between Cranna Lake Drive and C&E trail to install the replacement sanitary main pipe.
“Detours will be put in place to maintain dwelling access throughout the construction period,” said Infrastructure Services Director Matthew Goudy. “A detailed work schedule will be finalized prior to the start of the construction, and residents in the area will receive additional notification before the project breaks ground.”
Every year the City implements a collection of infrastructure projects collectively known as the Capital Works Program or Capital Improvements Program. A major component in this year’s program is the replacement of a collapsed sewer main on Woodland Dr. between Cranna Lake Drive and C&E Trail.
“It became apparent that we needed to replace this section of pipe after we noticed signs of linear settlement, which resulted in potholes developing along the centre of Woodland Drive,” said Engineering Services Manager Jordan Thompson. “A subsequent camera inspection of the sanitary line revealed sections of the concrete pipe had failed and needed replacement.”’
As most of you are now aware, Woodland Drive is currently open to local traffic only. We are in the first phase of three phases. The entrance on C&E Trail is completely cut off and the section between C&E Trail and Spruce Drive is being excavated; however there is still access for all residences in that area. This excavation process is planned until July 5, weather permitting.
In the second phase, Spruce Drive to Maple Bay will be shut down. There will be access through secondary roads and back alleys for all residences.
Our third phase is the section from Maple Bay to Cranna Lake Drive. Both of these communities have only one access in and out. The detour maps, which you can find on the City of Lacombe web site and in your mail, may not show an access for these residents. This is not correct. We will have flag patrols and the road in that section will not be completely shut down. We ask that only residents of Maple Bay and Cranna Lake Drive use that section of road.
We realize that this is inconvenient, not just for the residents of Woodland Drive and its offshoot neighbourhoods, but for all residents of Lacombe. Since the road was punched through several years ago, Woodland Drive has become a major thoroughfare for the City and we are now temporarily back to using the routes along the schools, the main street, and the area through the CUC to get from one side of town to the other.
However, just like a house renovation, fixing the problems with the concrete pipe now will help us avoid more expensive problems later on and create something better. The last thing anyone wants is a sewer back up into their home.
You may also have wondered why the road has been pulverized now and then left while we work on Phase A. Tearing up the road required a specialized machine and we had to rent and book it which necessitated the pulverization to be done all at once. You will notice that we did the same thing in other areas of the City. This saves us both time and money.
We plan to have the repairs finished, including the installation of traffic signals at Woodland Drive and C&E Trail, by the end of summer. The final asphalt will be laid next year so that we can allow the new road to settle during the winter and watch for any problems that might crop up. The end result will be a nice new road with a smooth flowing cement sewer pipe and peace of mind for those living in the area.
Steve Christie is the mayor of Lacombe.