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Bear Street Project Update - September 26

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 any questions or comments, please email the project team at BearStreet.Talk@banff.ca. 

Installing Soil Cells

Installation continues at more than 30 locations for landscape "pods" where soil cells will irrigate trees, shrubs and other foliage, while reducing and filtering water before going into the new storm drain mains running the length Bear Street. The installation of the storm water mains down the length of the road is almost complete. All properties are now connected to the permanent water service, and the temporary connections have been removed. The replacement of existing underground pipes - some up to 100 years old - will be complete in the next two weeks.

Installing soil cell technology

Excavation for Road Base and Soil Cells

The full road bed is being excavated continuing south to north. Removal of the top layer of road material will drop the level 0.5 metres below existing surface, in preparation of installing a conglomerate for drainage, then insulation and fabric, before road surface. Business doors will have to be closed on a rolling closure format during this stage. This phased process will take a few weeks. This week will see road base work in Zones 3 and 4 at the same time as soil cell installation.

Excavation are for soil cells and collectors
Yellow areas in the map above indicate the area of excavation required for more than 30 landscape pods for soil cells and storm water collectors to main lines. Click on the image above to download a PDF of the excavation map.

Week Ahead - Overview

Pedestrian access to operating businesses maintained in all zones.

Zone 1 (at Caribou St)

  • Traffic/intersection – closed  
  • Parking – closed
  • Pedestrian access – partial rolling closures  
  • Activity:
    • boulder placement on landscape pods over soil cells
    • surface work for preparation of road base
Zone 2
  • Traffic – closed
  • Parking – closed
  • Parkade – closed until project completion
  • Pedestrian access  - partial closures 
  • Activity:
    • concrete construction for landscape pods
    • boulder placement
Zone 3
  • Traffic – closed
  • Parking – closed
  • Parkades – closed until project completion
  • Pedestrian access - partial closures 
  • Activity: 
    • soil cells installation
    • concrete construction for landscape pods over soil cells
    • road bed excavation
    • shallow utilities work, including electrical connections
Zone 4 (at Wolf St)
  • Traffic/intersection – closed 
  • Parking – closed
  • Pedestrian access – partial closures
  • Activities:
    • utility excavation and installation of storm water mains 
    • road bed excavation

Zone Diagrams:

Zones 1 and 2 map
Zones 3 and 4 map

Construction Description - Sept. 28 to Oct. 3

 
Work on the storm system will continue with installation of soil cells, dry wells and trench drains in Zones 2, 3 and 4.  Excavation and the installation of soil cells will limit the access to certain businesses in Zones 2, 3 & 4. To minimize duration of impact on businesses, road excavation will be done at the same time soil cell excavations, when possible.
 
Landscaping work will continue in Zones 1 & 2. Concrete work around the soil cells will be completed first, followed by placement of above-ground landscaping features.  This work will cause intermittent closures of front door access to some businesses. These closures are necessary for the safety of the public and workers. Expect them to last for one or more hours at a time. 
 
Zone 1 will see the rebuilding of the road base and concrete surface works starting at the Magpie & Stump corner. This work will combine the last three stages (insulation, road base & concrete) and will require an extended access closure. Completion of these stages is a significant marker for the project.     


10-day Front Door Access Closures - Sept 27 to Oct. 6
(Click to download full PDF):

10-day access closures
This schedule provides dates of construction activities which will affect “front door” access to specific businesses over the next 10 day period. 
Dates in red mean access is expected to be closed for an entire day, while dates in yellow mean that access will be intermittent for parts of the day. 
Click above image to download PDF.

Sequence of Future Closures of Access to Front Doors
(Click image to download PDF)

Sequence of Future Closures of Access to Front Doors
This document identifies projected access restrictions to buildings & businesses until the end of the project. The schedule indicates the sequence of 9 phases of construction that will have an impact on the “front door” access to specific businesses, and estimated time of closures for those front doors. The specific dates will be provided as they are updated in upcoming weekly10-day schedules.
Click on the above image to download a PDF of sequence of future closures.
Free masks on Caribou Street

Communications Update

Bear Street Ambassadors focus on promoting all businesses on Bear Street on weekends, while mainly helping residents navigate the changing access routes on weekdays. Ambassadors also continue to hand out free masks on weekends to maintain high bylaw compliance.

The 14 Bear Street Ambassadors are on the street 7 days a week, working hard to assist people in finding the best route to their Bear Street destination, often escorting individuals to businesses and services. Ambassadors understand the frustration residents may have with the changing access routes to familiar locations, and aim to help people avoid dead end routs and find the quickest way to the many important services on Bear Street.

Maps placed at all Bear Street entrances indicate when and where sidewalk access is closed. Please tell employees, colleagues and neighbours to look for maps at entrances to find the best route to destinations on Bear Street. 

Promotions of Bear Street continues with signage at various parking locations in the downtown area.

Bear Street promotion sign

Online and On-Site Information

The Town continues to promote Bear Street businesses in boosted social media posts targeted at visitors. The Website BrandNewBear.ca is also being promoted to residents and visitors through a map and business directory for Bear Street. 

A live video public information session about the project is being held on zoom:


Date: Thursday, October 1
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Register (required):

https://banff.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_a9qR0g4cSm-NpEa47pycAw 

This session is similar to the weekly meeting with stakeholders and is geared to the general public. Material presented to Banff Town Council on September 21 will be used in the presentation. After registering, participants will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

A live in-person public site tour about the project is being held on :


Date: Tuesday, October 6
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: Caribou Street tent, west of Banff Avenue alley
COVID: masks are mandatory and social distancing is practiced
Weather Dependent. Cancelled if snowing or heavy rain.


This site tour will allow people to see the installation of soil cells in the range of phases, from excavation to concrete forms to boulder placement at landscape locations. The tour will also examine road coring (excavation) and the final phases to come before project completion.

Mandatory Mask Bylaw Extended

The Temporary Mask Bylaw will continue inside publicly accessible buildings and outside on sidewalks in the downtown core. Council gave three readings to the bylaw to extend its use after the downtown pedestrian zone closed and Banff Avenue re-opened to traffic. Masks will still be required on sidewalks in the 100 and 200 blocks of Banff Avenue, the 200 block of Bear Street, and connecting sections of Wolf and Caribou Streets. There is no end date associated with the bylaw, but due to its temporary nature, it will be brought back to council regularly for review. Residents are able to pick up a supply of masks for free from Town Hall during regular business hours. More information on the bylaw is available at https://banff.ca/covidmasks 

Call to Artists 

The Town of Banff, through the Community Art Committee, is inviting Canadian artists to submit proposals for a public art project on Bear Street. The Call to Artists opened on August 27 and closes January 6, 2021. Details on this opportunity and maps of the two locations for public art on Bear Street are available at banff.ca/1153/Call-to-Artists.

September 25 street view

Bear Street Reconstruction Project Team:

  • Pierre-Hugues “PH” Gagnon, Bear Street Project Manager
  • Marie-Eve Jackson, Community Liaison Officer (for businesses 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.

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110 Bear Street, Banff, AB, T1L 1A1

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