This e-newsletter is for residents, businesses and organizations who have registered for project updates.
 
If you know others who should receive this regular email update, please direct them to sign up at https://www.brandnewbear.ca/
 
For questions or comments, please email the project team at BearStreet.Talk@banff.ca.

Construction Overview - Week of May 24

Zone 1

• Traffic/intersection – closed
• Parking – closed
• Pedestrian access – open

• Traffic – closed
• Parking – closed
• Pedestrian access – intermittent closures, access disruptions, temporary pathways
• Parkade – closed
• Laydown area (parking lot) – restricted to construction crews

• Traffic – closed
• Parking – closed
• Pedestrian access – intermittent closures, access disruptions, temporary pathways
• Parkades – closed
• Laydown area (parking lot) – restricted to construction crews
• Activity – demolition of sidewalks and road; Utility and foundation inspections

• Traffic/intersection – open Monday, then closed for remainder of week
• Parking – closed on Monday
• Pedestrian access – open until Monday, then intermittent closures, access disruptions, temporary pathways
• Activities – utility and foundation inspections; demolition of sidewalks and road surface begins Tuesday

Construction Details - Week of May 24

• On-street parking is closed from Wolf Street to Caribou Street for safety reasons and schedule efficiency reasons. This situation will remain until the project is complete.
• Bear Street is closed to vehicular traffic for safety and to help accelerate the project.
• Existing infrastructure, such as street poles, benches, bicycle racks and street furniture are almost completely removed from the construction zones.
• Roadway and sidewalk cutting will continue through the week.
• Fencing is planned to be removed from Caribou Street to allow the demolition to move north and encompass the Wolf Street intersection.
• Fencing will also encompass the area from CMH Heli-Skiing to the Wolf Street intersection.
• Access to underground parkades will be closed this week.
  • Customers and tenants seeking alternative parking options can use public parking listed at banffparking.ca or private parking in the Cascade Shops parkade
    (contact Martin Halliday, cell: 403-804-9400).
• Caribou Street intersection is planned to re-open temporarily to East-West vehicular traffic.
• Wolf Street intersection is planned to be closed from approximately from May 25 for approximately 1 week.
• The replacement of the underground utilities in the street and to properties is planned to start on June 1 at the Caribou Street intersection, which will then be closed for a few weeks.
• Intermittent water service disruption to occur.
• Security lighting is in place. Extra caution should be used if the public needs to access the area at night.
  
• Expect road closures, sidewalk detours, vibrations, noise and dust.
  
• Brand New Bear fence scrim continues to be installed where required.
  
• Wayfinding signage continues to be monitored as fencing moves to ensure appropriate directions and COVID space requirements.
  
• Large 4-foot by 8-foot signs at the ends of the intersections to include “mall map” on reverse side for pedestrians
  
• Website BrandNewBear.ca updated with project information and to include all reopened businesses and services (if your service or business has recently re-opened, and would like it listed, contact BearStreetTalk@banff.ca)

Banff resumption of services and visitors

The Town will be prepared to welcome visitors to Banff in June, and will continue to monitor traffic and compliance with 2-metre distancing requirements of pedestrians. 

The safety of residents, local employees and visitors is the top priority for Banff. Measures are being implemented to maintain physical distancing requirements in busy public spaces. Businesses are being monitored for compliance with safety controls. The Town continues to work with Alberta Health Services and is prepared to support contact tracing and other measures in the event of a “second wave” of COVID-cases, which often occurs in pandemics.

On May 25, Banff Town Council will discuss and provide direction on a proposal to close the 100 and 200 blocks of Banff Avenue in June, and after the resurfacing is complete. The proposal for full closure to vehicles would be for the whole summer and may involve partial closure of Caribou Street. 

The Emergency Coordination Centre directed the closure of one lane each way of Banff Ave for the May long weekend as a trial to monitor use of additional space for pedestrians to follow 2-metre distancing requirements. Due to low traffic volumes, the extra pedestrian space was not required, however the trial identified issues and considerations if a full closure is approved for June.

Help keep Banff safe

As restrictions are lifted and more visitors return to Banff, it is more important than ever that public health measures are followed so that we do not take steps backward, undoing the successful efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 in Banff.

• Businesses and services need to put in place physical distancing controls, and staff training, before they can open.
• All individuals must take responsibility for maintaining health measures so we can all keep COVID-19 under control:
  • People must be prepared with hand sanitizer and cleaning wipes.
  • Everyone should wear masks or face coverings in crowded public spaces.
  • People should wash or sanitize their hands frequently.
  • Gatherings are not permitted with more than 15 people inside and 50 people outside – and remember sidewalks, trailheads and viewing platforms can get very busy.
  • Lining up for retail or restaurants must be managed to allow 2 metre distancing between people. Operations should consider digital strategies to reserve visits to avoid long line-ups, such as Open Table or pagers.
  • People must maintain a 2 metre distance from anyone else not from your household – that’s the law in Alberta.

• Pierre-Hugues “PH” Gagnon, Bear Street Project Manager
• Marie-Eve Jackson, Community Liaison Officer (for businesses, employees and residents)
• Rick Williams, Business Liaison Officer (for property owners)
•  Janice Carson, Senior Communications Specialist
• Darren Enns, Director of Planning and Development
• Adrian Field, Director of Engineering

 
For questions and comments about the Bear Street Reconstruction project, please email bearstreettalk@banff.ca.