Project to be complete in 2021
The project is now scheduled to be fully complete by the week of July 19, 2021.
Remaining work in 2021 will include:
- installing pavers as final road surface
- finishing work on planter boulders
- installing public street furniture
- planting trees, shrubs and grasses
- finishing bases on all street lights
The construction crews will continue working until the week of December 21, 2020, in order to achieve as much of the remaining phases as possible before cold temperatures prevent continuation of work due to impact on quality of construction. In addition to the full replacement of all underground water, storm and sanitary sewer utilities and connections to all properties, the following are expected to be complete in 2020:
- installation of soil cells, construction of concrete forms and placement of all 36 planters
- paving of asphalt on the aprons of the intersections at Caribou and Wolf streets
- placement of street lights and signage
- trench drain component of complete drainage system
- the majority of road base ready for installing pavers in 2021
As the construction nears the limit of work able to accomplish in cold temperatures, the focus will be on creating an inviting and usable street through the winter.
Bear Street Winter Attraction
There will be no workers, equipment or materials on the street, sidewalks or parking lot
from the week of December 21 until the restart of construction in late April. During this winter period, the Town of Banff will work to make Bear Street an appealing attraction for visitors and residents. We are working on plans to create a
Bear Street Winter Pedestrian Zone that will be as appealing as the Banff Avenue Pedestrian Zone was in summer.
The focus for creating an inviting street
will be to provide illumination, warming features and distributed activities, without creating large gatherings that are not allowed due to COVID transmission risk.
Features will include fire pits, Christmas lights, Christmas trees supplied by Banff & Lake Louise Tourism (BLLT), and the Town is exploring food and beverage operators opportunities in a limited number of spaces. The suggestion for a skating rink from a Bear Street Stakeholder is also being explored for feasibility, resourcing and impact on spring construction start.
Bear Street promises to be one of the locations for BLLT displays and activities in January Snow Days.
The closure of the central portion of the street to vehicles will also limit the amount of frost that is driven into the road base. Vehicles driving on the temporary surface would delay the start of installing pavers in 2021 by approximately six weeks to allow for frost to completely thaw from the road bed. (The pavers will be installed starting at the centre of the street in front of the surface parking lot.)
Through the winter period on Bear Street:
- the intersections at Caribou and Wolf streets will be open with a temporary asphalt surface in the “table top” raised intersections (these will have pavers as final road surface).
- the sidewalks throughout Bear Street will be temporary compacted gravel surface, at approximately 8 inches below final grade (the depth of pavers and sand polymer), with the surface ramped to flush with front door entrances or existing steps on private properties
- parking on Wolf and Caribou streets will become 15-minute zones with designated accessible stalls, and spaces for rental businesses due to their unique loading and unloading needs.
- no parking on Bear Street will be allowed due to the narrower layout and the inability to turn around at the entrances to parkades
- snow and ice control on temporary sidewalks on Bear Street will be managed by the Town through staff and/or subcontracts
- A combination of fencing, barricades and temporary planters will be installed to create the pedestrian zone and protect soil cells before final road pavers are installed
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