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

Previous updates and other project information is available at banff.ca/stjulienroad

Hikers can now access the lower trailhead for Tunnel Mountain via Wolverine Street. Access to the full sidewalk from Wolf Street or Caribou Street is still closed.

St. Julien Road Reconstruction - October 14 Update

The reconstruction has progressed over the past week:

Asphalt paving was completed
Asphalt connections to private driveways was completed
New street lights were installed
Pavement markings for crosswalks and traffic lines were installed
Caribou Street connection trail work underway
Trailhead parking lot regrading underway
Landscaping work underway

In the week ahead, the focus is on:

Landscaping along the road, trails and drainage system
Installation of site furnishings such as benches, bus stop pole, speed signs
Caribou Street trail construction

Change in site access

Resident Access:
Residents who live on St. Julien Road can now access their homes by vehicle. Residents must drive slowly when going to or from their homes. The construction crews have reported speeding drivers this week, and remind residents that heavy machinery, workers and excavation make this an unsafe construction zone.

There are no more scheduled closures of access to individual driveways for St. Julien residents. (See final resident closure schedule, below)

Public Access:
St. Julien Road remains closed to all other vehicles as construction continues. Drivers must detour to Buffalo Street to reach Tunnel Mountain Drive. Public vehicle access on St. Julien Road will open in November. The site remains a construction zone until full reopening.

Hikers and Pedestrians:
Hikers can now access the lower Tunnel Mountain Trailhead, but only via Wolverine Street and then the sidewalk on St. Julien Road until the crosswalk at the trailhead.

Pedestrians cannot use the sidewalk on St. Julien Road between Wolf Street and Wolverine Street because it is unsafe until a handrail is installed later this month at a section where there is a steep drop.
The Caribou Street access remains completely closed as the new trail to St. Julien Road is constructed.

Parking:

The trailhead parking lot will remain closed until the end of the construction project as this continues as the equipment and material storage area.

No public access will be permitted in the parking lot until November.
The designated parking zones reserved for residents of St. Julien Road outside the construction zone will be dismantled starting next week because no more closures to private driveways are planned.

The access trail at Caribou Street is under construction.

Click on schedule below to download easy-to-read PDF:

The parking lot at the trailhead will remain closed until November. The site remains the construction laydown area, currently used for storing landscaping to be planted.

Follow detours to Tunnel Mountain Trail

The lower trailhead to the Tunnel Mountain Trail on St. Julien Road is now open. No longer are pedestrians required to use the Ken Madsen Path and route through Banff Centre to reach the trail.

However, the route is only from Wolverine Street to the upper portion of sidewalk on St. Julien Road. Pedestrians cannot use the sidewalk between Wolf Street and Wolverine Street.

Tourism operators and visitor service agents should remind visitors to ignore Google Maps and follow the detours south to Wolverine Street along the north side of the Old Banff Cemetery. The routes are well marked with lawn signs at each intersection.

Hikers must not attempt to access the lower trailhead from the bottom of St. Julien Road. Trail work is underway.

Signage is in place to direct hikers to detour to Wolverine Street. Large signs are placed at intersections, and "bread-crumb" lawn signs help hikers navigate the full route to Tunnel Mountain Drive.

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 (see map 1 below).

Hiking to Tunnel Mountain Summit
- Lower Trailhead Access

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

New street lights are installed on St. Julien Road.