Bear Street Project Update - Aug. 9

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.

Remaining Project Schedule

Download the complete schedule (PDF)

Quick Overview: the week ahead

Pedestrian access to operating businesses maintained in all zones.

Zone 1 (at Caribou St)

Traffic/intersection – closed
Parking – closed
Pedestrian access – open on gravel pathways

Zone 2

Traffic – closed
Parking – closed
Pedestrian access on gravel pathways, with periodic closure of mid-block crossing
Parkade – closed
Laydown area (surface parking lot) – restricted to construction crews
Activity – pressure testing and chlorination of water connections

Zone 3

Traffic – closed
Parking – closed
Pedestrian access on gravel pathways, but closures of sidewalk on west side between Aug. 10 and 14
Parkades – closed into September
Laydown area (surface parking lot) – restricted to construction crews
Activity – water and sanitary mains replacement;
Sidewalk access closed for service connections at Acadia Lodge - Banff Park Lodge Staff Accommodation (Monday, Aug. 10), Backtrax & Rocky Mountain Flannel (Tuesday-Wednesday. Aug. 11-12), Home Hardware (Thursday-Friday, Aug. 13-14)
Bear Street access to these buildings will not be available on those respective days.

Zone 4 (at Wolf St)

Traffic/intersection – closed
Parking – closed
Pedestrian access – open on temporary pathways

Activities – water and sanitary mains replacement

Construction Description – August 10-15

Replacement of water and sanitary sewer systems is ongoing.
Work to connect water and sewer to properties this week will disrupt sidewalk access on the west side of the street, affecting business access:
- Backtrax & Rocky Mountain Flannel (Tuesday-Wednesday. Aug. 11-12)
- Home Hardware (Thursday-Friday, Aug. 13-14)
Mid-block crosswalk(s) may be closed as needed.
The underground parkades are not accessible by vehicle.
Caribou Street intersection is closed to vehicular traffic.
Wolf Street intersection is closed to vehicular traffic.
Bear Street is closed to all vehicular traffic and on-street parking.
Access to some buildings is required to undertake service connections. Intermittent service disruption may occur and will be planned with each buildings impacted.
Wastewater flows are being by-passed in construction areas.
Small sidewalk areas will be demolished adjacent to some buildings.
Security lighting is in place. Extra caution should be used if the public needs to access the area at night.
The temporary sidewalks will be re-levelled and re-compacted throughout the week. Expect vibrations.
Dust abatement continues through the construction project.
Expect road closures, sidewalk detours, vibrations, noise and dust.

Sidewalk closures
The construction phases in the subsequent weeks will have an impact on public access to businesses, especially for businesses without secondary access. Phases are separated by up to a week. This is the sequence for construction activity that will cause disruption:

Removal of water connection point (only where applicable)
Connections from building to storm sewer (only where applicable)
Soil Cells, Irrigation and Electrical (will affect some businesses)
Landscaping (will affect some businesses)
Native soil grading & compaction, installation of filter fabric & insulation
Grading and compaction of the layers of road base
Grading, cutting, compaction of sand and pavers

We are working with businesses without secondary access to plan work with minimal disruption, but since many neighbouring businesses have conflicting open hours, accommodation is not always possible.

Parkade closures
With the parkades closing for at least the next month for the Bear Street Mall and the Town House Building, property owners and tenants seeking alternative parking options can use public parking listed at banffparking.ca for extended hours if registered with the parkade landlord.

Property owners and tenants seeking alternative covered parking may consider the Cascade Shops parkade (contact Martin Halliday, cell: 403-804-9400).

Communications Update

Bear Street Ambassadors have been scheduled seven days a week to help customers and residents navigate the Bear Street sidewalks, especially when there is a closure at a business that causes a dead end.

Ambassadors will be assisting pedestrians on both the north and south side of the closures this week, affecting the section between CMH and BackTrax.

The Bear Street Ambassadors also continue to work on Banff Avenue and main access points to encourage customers to visit businesses and services on Bear Street.

Bear Street Ambassadors will hand out branded Bear Street masks on the September long weekend.

Paid social media posts, geofenced for visitors in Banff, this last weekend featured galleries, and will continue with specialty services this weekend.

The narrow sections of pathway are being monitored to ensure safe passage, an signage is updated daily.

The Website BrandNewBear.ca continues to be updated with listings for the map and business directory.

Mandatory Masks Bylaw

All reports suggest very high compliance with the new temporary bylaw that requires people to wear masks or face coverings in enclosed public spaces such as shops, restaurants, hotels, common areas, taxis and other publicly accessible facilities.

Masks must also be worn outside in the 100 and 200 blocks of Banff Avenue and Caribou Street, (https://banff.ca/banffave) which has been converted into the downtown pedestrian zone.

Businesses and other publicly accessible enclosures are required to post notification in their entrances identifying the requirement to wear a mask or face covering. Businesses can download a poster/sign from Banff.ca/COVIDmasks.

Bear Street businesses can request a laminated sign from BearStreetTalk@banff.ca.

Businesses are not required to enforce the mask requirement or inform customers about the need to wear masks, but are welcome to provide information or refer people to Banff.ca/COVIDmasks.

If people have complaints, please direct them to https://banff.ca/covid#Complaint or call Municipal Enforcement at 403.762.1218 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. After hours, please call the RCMP at 403.762.2226.

Banff Safety Ambassadors are in the downtown pedestrian zone handing out free disposable masks every day for the remainder of the summer. Bear Street Ambassadors also continue to hand out free masks as a good way to start conversations about Bear Street opportunities.

Free masks are not being provided to businesses to distribute because several Banff businesses sell masks and the Town’s Ambassadors are trained to hand out masks without compromising the sanitary requirements.

Council will review its effectiveness at every meeting this summer and fall, and may make adjustments as needed.

Wearing a mask does not replace the need to maintain a social distancing of 2 metre/6 feet from others, or the practice of regular hand washing and sanitizing.

Bear Street Reconstruction Project Team:

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
Jason Darrah, Director of Communications

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