Bear Street Reconstruction Project Update 
December 5

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

Week Ahead - Overview

Zone 1 (at Caribou St)

• Traffic/intersection – open (east-west only)
• On-street parking – open on Caribou Street
• Pedestrian access – open   
• Brewster Mountain Lodge parkade access road - open
• Activities: electrical installation for lighting

• Traffic – closed
• On-street parking – closed
• Parkade access – open 
• Pedestrian access  - partial closures 
• Activity:
  • landscaping - concrete platforms over soil cells and boulder placement
  • shallow utilities (electrical and irrigation system)
  • surface works (insulation, geotextile, gravel)
  • soil cells in lay-down area/surface parking lot

• Traffic – closed
• On-street parking – closed
• Parkade access – closed 
• Pedestrian access - partial closures 
• Activity: 
  • trench drain running north-south
  • landscaping - concrete structures, boulder placement
  • shallow utilities (electrical and irrigation system)
  • surface works (insulation, geotextile, gravel)
  • soil cells in lay-down area/surface parking lot

• Traffic/intersection – closed 
• On-street parking – closed
• Pedestrian access – partial closures

Maps of Activity over next 10 days:

Construction Description: Dec. 6-15

Work on the storm system will continue with the installation of soil cells and trench drains in Zone 2 and 3 - mainly in the central lay-down area which will be the future surface parking lot. Excavation and the installation of soil cells and trench drains in Zones 2 & 3 will require closures of the mid-block crosswalks during the next week. Please see the link below for the Weekly Access Closures schedule for details.
 
Landscaping and shallow utilities work will also continue in Zones 2 and 3. Concrete work around the soil cells will be completed, followed by placement of above-ground landscaping features. This work will cause intermittent access closures 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. 
 
Rebuilding of the road base will continue in Zone 2 and 3. With the lowering temperatures, heating and hoarding of the road sub-base before rebuilding is a necessary step that must be taken. Unfortunately, this will impact the access to certain businesses in Zone 3.  

Bear Street Mall and Townhouse Building parkades will continue to be closed. The Caribou intersection is open to east-west traffic while the Wolf Street intersection will remain closed.

Please click here to download a schedule of front door access closures on specific dates for individual businesses.

Revised Complete Project Schedule

Project to be complete in 2021

The Bear Street Reconstruction is scheduled to be fully complete by the week of July 19, 2021.

The following will be completed in 2021, with work resuming as soon as the ground thaws:

• installing block pavers as final road surface
• finishing work on planter boulders
• installing public street furniture
• planting trees and shrubs in 36 planters
• finishing bases on all street lights

Bear Street Winter Pedestrian Zone

Measures to stop the spread of COVID-19

Banff's mandatory mask bylaw was amended to remove bandanas, neck tubes and scarves as acceptable face coverings. If businesses require a new poster for their front door or window - with a revised illustration - download from the Mandatory Mask web page, or email communications@banff.ca. On Monday, November 30, Banff Town Council also expanded the bylaw to require masks to be worn outside in the "blue zone" in the map above, as well as all publicly accessible buildings in Banff.

The Town implemented additional measures, effective Thursday, Dec. 3 to Dec. 21, unless extended:

• Restaurants and bars are required to limit their occupancy to 50% of normal fire code limit. (See list of new occupancy limits)
• Liquor and cannabis stores are required to close to the public at or before 10 p.m., and they are not permitted to offer delivery services after 10 p.m. This aligns with the provincial restriction that requires all alcohol sales in restaurants and bars to end at 10 p.m. 
• Municipal Enforcement staff are assisting RCMP in monitoring and enforcing provincial restrictions which include:
  • Festivals, events and sports have been suspended
  • limits on social gatherings outside to 10 people
  • a ban on social gatherings in homes and guest rooms
  • people must be seated in restaurants and bars and tables have a maximum limit of 6 people who must be from the same immediate household
  • reduced occupancy limits on retail operations, theatres and galleries to 25% of normal fire code.

Details on current restrictions are available at https://banff.ca/covid#Critical

Support services
The Emergency Social Services team has increased staffing for the Help Desk to support residents in need. For example, with increasing numbers of residents in isolation or quarantine, the help desk can help coordinate delivery of food or supplies, mental health referral, translation services and assistance accessing the Canada Sickness Recovery Benefit or other supports. Residents are asked to visit https://banff.ca/covidhelp or email Help@Banff.ca.

• For businesses, please note the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy program has been revised to provide rent relief directly to tenants.
• Changes to the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy were announced Nov. 19

The Town of Banff opened an isolation space for Banff residents living in shared accommodation who need to isolate due to testing positive or being notified they have been in close contact with a person who tested positive. The Town is operating 23 isolation units at the Banff Centre. Learn more. 

Town Council also directed the installation of digital signs at the entrances of town to indicate the the high-risk of transmission in the Banff region.

The Town has closed to the public Town Hall, the Fenlands and the 101 Bear Street community space upstairs, to reduce the risk of close contact. 

The Bear Street project team recognizes the additional anxiety and financial hardship this new phase in the pandemic is causing residents, businesses and employees on Bear Street. We continue to work to minimize the disruption caused by construction and share your concerns about the impact of COVID in our community. Don't hesitate to contact the team or the Town of Banff with questions, concerns or suggestions.

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.