This newsletter is for people who live in the St. Julien Road construction zone and anyone who has registered to learn about the project and its impact on drivers, hikers, commuters and visitors. If you know someone who may be interested in this project, please encourage them to sign up at banff.ca/stjulienroad

Excavation is moving up St. Julien Road as crews remove and replace old water lines. Crews are working on watermains at mid-block, and will begin sewer line replacement next week, starting at the lowest point around the intersection at Wolf and Grizzly streets.

St. Julien Road Reconstruction - June 10 Update

In the past week, watermain installation was completed from Wolf Street to Wolverine Street. Today, the crew is completing the tie-in to the line serving Wolverine Street properties.

Next week's construction:

Start sewer main replacement at Wolf Street, and progress replacement uphill towards Wolverine Street
Sewer main replacement requires bypass pumping. A pump is installed in an upstream manhole and temporary lines above ground carry sewage to a manhole down stream. This allows a section of pipe to be isolated to be ready for replacement. Crews will leap-frog up the road moving the bypass as they proceed.

Detour around lower Tunnel Mountain Trail starts June 14

Starting Tuesday, June 14, hikers heading to the Tunnel Mountain Trail will be detoured away from St. Julien Road and the lower trailhead access. The lower trailhead on St. Julien will be completely inaccessible the following week, when sewer and water main work involves excavation and replacement in the area. Hikers will detour to the Ken Madsen Path and around the Banff Centre campus as the only route to the Tunnel Mountain Trail.

Please completely avoid St. Julien Road, unless you are a resident or visiting a resident on the road.

Parks Canada has issued a trail advisory for the lower portion of the Tunnel Mountain Trail, between Tunnel Mountain Drive and the construction site.

Scheduled impact on residents for June 10-19

Most homes on St. Julien Road will have complete closures of driveway access next week. The red phases in the matrix schedule below indicate full-day closures, and the yellow phases indicate intermittent closures that involve constant movement of heavy vehicles and machinery on St. Julien Road. Residents are asked to be extremely cautious when exiting their properties or entering the site, and to make sure to communicate with workers and flaggers on the site.

This week ahead, the excavation for water lines continues at mid-block, and sewer replacement excavation starts at the bottom of St. Julien Road at Wolf Street.

This week, the status of resident-only access points to St. Julien Road:

Sr. Julien Way (top of road) access to St. Julien Rd: Open access June 10-19
Wolf Street entrance to St. Julien:
- Intermittently open access today to Monday, June 13
- Closed access Tuesday, June 14 to Friday, June 17
Wolverine Street entrance to St. Julien:
- Closed access today to Monday, June 13
- Intermittently open access Tuesday, June 13 to Sunday, June 19
Wolverine St. back alley:
- Intermittently open access today to Monday, June 13
- Closed access Tuesday, June 14 to Friday, June 17

These homes are scheduled for full-day closures next week preventing access from St. Julien Road (schedules can change depending on weather):

208, 210, 216, 218, 220, St. Julien Rd, (Tuesday-Sunday)
222, 226A/B St. Julien Rd. (Tuesday-Friday)
341 Grizzly Street and 609 Wolf Street (Tuesday-Friday)
206 Grizzly Street (Thursday-Sunday)
200 St. Julien and 135 Wolverine (today-Monday)
136 St. Julien (today-Monday)

St. Julien Road is closed to public access by vehicle, bicycle or by foot. St. Julien Road will be closed until October. Four parking zones for local residents only are established outside the construction zone (see map below).

View and download the UPDATED schedule matrix for impact on individual homes.

Schedule of Impact on Homes and Access - June 10-19

Click on schedule above to download PDF that is easier to read

If you live on St. Julien and have questions, please contact us:

email stjulienroad@banff.ca
phone 403.762.1296

Click on map to download a PDF that is easier to read

Starting Tuesday, June 14, hikers heading to the Tunnel Mountain Trail will be detoured away from St. Julien Road. The lower trailhead on St. Julien will be completely inaccessible the following week, when sewer and water main work involves excavation and replacement in the area, including work on the manhole connection visible in the photo. Hikers will be required to detour to the Ken Madsen Path and around the Banff Centre campus as the only route to the upper trailhead on Tunnel Mountain Drive.

Tunnel Mountain Trailhead Access

Due to the construction on St. Julien Road, hikers will be required to access the Tunnel Mountain Summit Trail by bypassing St. Julien Road and walking to the upper trailhead on Tunnel Mountain Drive. The lower trailhead parking lot is closed and parking at the upper trailhead is limited to a few cars. Walking from downtown is the best way to reach the trail.

Route options to the upper trailhead:

Walk on the Buffalo Street trail with views of the Bow River to Surprise Corner and onto Tunnel Mountain Drive, and the upper Tunnel Mountain Trailhead
Walk south on Otter Street to Wolverine Street and use the Ken Madsen Path behind the Old Cemetery up to Banff Centre, and then take St. Julien Way to Tunnel Mountain Drive (see maps below).

Hikers heading to the Tunnel Mountain Trail starting June 14 will not be able to access the lower trailhead.

Tourism operators, hotels and visitor service agents are asked to inform guests to avoid St. Julien Road, by using the routes identified below.

Hiking route 1 to Tunnel Summit - via Banff Centre

Click to download PDF

Hiking route 2 to Tunnel Summit - via Buffalo St. Trail

Map - route to summit via Buffalo Street

Click to download PDF

Banff Centre access

Pedestrian access to Banff Centre will be maintained on the Ken Madsen Path behind the cemetery, accessed from Wolverine Street or Buffalo Street. Vehicle access is limited to Buffalo Street and Tunnel Mountain Drive.

Photo: Pedestrian Detour sign at Ken Madsen Path

Detour for hikers at Wolverine St. to Ken Madsen Path

Contractor: Bremner Engineering and Construction Ltd (BECL), based in the Bow Valley, was selected as prime construction contractor in a national open tender.

Project Manager: Stephen Allan, PMP, Engineering Coordinator, Town of Banff

For more information:

email stjulienroad@banff.ca
phone 403.762.1296
web banff.ca/stjulienroad

Photo - Trucks move dirt during excavation to access water and sewer lines