Centre Street North paving project to begin this weekend

In order to extend the life of one of Calgary’s busiest roadways, Roads crews will be paving Centre Street North between 7 Avenue and Beddington Boulevard N.E. starting this weekend.  

 “We’ve identified sections of the roadway that are in immediate need of rehabilitation along Centre Street and hope to have the work completed over the next couple of weekends,” says Chris McGeachy, spokesperson for Roads.

Due to the scope of the work, crews will have to close various lanes which will have an impact on traffic.

“To maximize efficiency, we will begin work on localized sections of the northbound lanes this weekend, weather permitting, and then turn around and head southbound the following weekend,” adds McGeachy.

The first weekend closures will be focused on the northbound lanes, with milling work starting on Friday, Sept. 23.

• Milling on Centre Street N will take place on Friday, Sept. 23 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. from 7 Avenue to 16 Avenue. The road will be reduced to a single lane in each direction at various areas throughout this closure. Police will be onsite to detour traffic when milling work occurs in the intersections
• Milling and paving work will occur from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24 and Sunday, Sept. 25. During these times, the northbound lanes of Centre Street will be closed and two way traffic will be in place in the southbound lanes between 7 Avenue and Beddington Boulevard N.E. Motorists are advised to use alternate routes when possible.

While the schedule for the following weekend (Sept. 30 – Oct. 2) has not been finalized, motorist should expect to see similar closures in the southbound lanes during that time.

The City of Calgary’s Surface Overlay program helps rejuvenate our transportation network and provide a smooth surface for road users. For more information on paving, visit Calgary.ca/paving.

Labour Day weekend construction - what commuters need to know.

Long weekends are an opportune time to get construction done without impacting the 9-5 weekday commuters. While motorists may notice several projects around Calgary, these closures can happen for a variety of reasons.

Paving

This weekend, paving continues on Silver Ridge Drive N.W., 14 Street N.W. and Edmonton Trail N.W. Keep in mind this work is weather dependent and rain could cause delays. For more information on paving, visit Calgary.ca/paving.

• Edmonton Trail N.E. will be reduced to a single lane in each direction between 4 Avenue N.E. and 16 Avenue N.E. from 5 am to 10 pm on Saturday, Sunday and Monday this weekend.
• 14 Street N.W. has moved into phase 3 of 4 of paving work – traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction from Kensington Road to 5 Avenue N.W.
• Silver Ridge Drive N.W. will be closed to through-traffic between Silvercrest Drive N.W.  and Silvercrest Crescent N.W. beginning at 7 a.m. on Saturday. This closure remains in place until 7 p.m. on Monday and accommodates paving work.

LRT Maintenance Work

LRT maintenance work will occur on 14 Avenue N.W. This will affect certain bus/train routes, for more information visit calgarytransit.com.

• 14 Avenue N.W. is closed between 14 Street N.W. and 19 Street N.W. beginning at 10 p.m. on Friday. This closure continues until 11:59 p.m. on Monday and accommodates LRT maintenance work.

Water Services utility work

48 Avenue N.W. is reduced to a single lane in each direction at 23 Avenue N.W. and there will be no access to westbound 23 Avenue N.W. via 48 Avenue N.W. This closure remains in place until 8 p.m. on Sunday. Local access will be maintained in the area. This closure accommodates water services utility work.

• Elbow Drive is closed at 75 Avenue S.W. beginning at 7 p.m. tomorrow (Sept. 2). This closure remains in place until 5 a.m. on Monday and accommodates water services utility replacement. Motorists will be detoured around the closure via signage, and are advised to expect delays and use alternate routes when available.

Deep underground utility work

• 5 Avenue S.W. is closed between Centre Street and 1 Street S.W. beginning at 7 p.m. Friday (Sept. 2.) This closure remains in place until 5 a.m. on Tuesday.
• There will be a two-way setup on 4 Avenue S.E. between 1 Street S.W. and 1 Street S.E. beginning at 7 p.m. tomorrow (Sept. 2). This setup accommodates a detour around construction at Centre Street S, which will be closed between 4 Avenue S.E. and 6 Avenue S.E. during this time. This closure remains in place until 5 a.m. on Tuesday and accommodates deep utility work. Motorists are advised to expect delays and use alternate routes when possible.

Road paving is heating up - long weekend construction blog

Heading into the long-weekend, paving is heating up across the city.

“Paving is essential for maintaining our roadways. It helps restore a smooth surface and keeps the base layers intact to prevent costly and large impact roadwork from happening down the line,” says Chris McGeachy, Communication Advisor, Roads.

The long weekend is always an excellent opportunity for crews to get work done without the large volume of 9-5 traffic during the week. Here are some areas where motorists can expect delays this weekend:

NE

• Edmonton Trail is being paved from 16 Avenue N.E. to 42 Avenue N.E. on Saturday, July 30 and Sunday, July 31 from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Motorists can expect a single lane of traffic in each direction during the work.

NW

• Crowchild Trail N.W. will have lane reductions in both directions at the University LRT Station beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, July 30. Motorists can expect reduced speeds and delays in the area. This closure remains in place until 4 a.m. on Monday, August 1.
• Banff Trail N.W. will be closed to all northbound traffic at 16 Avenue N.W. beginning at 11:30 p.m. on Friday, July 29. This closure continues through 4 a.m. on Tuesday, August 2 and accommodates work on the Banff Trail C-Train station.
• The exit ramp from northbound Crowchild Trail N.W. to Northland Drive N.W. is closed beginning at 8 p.m. on Friday, July 28. This closure continues until 10 p.m. on Monday, August 1 and accommodates paving.
• Centre Street N will be reduced to a single lane in each direction at 31 and 32 Avenue N.W. beginning on Saturday, July 30 at 6 a.m. This closure continues until Sunday, July 31 at 8 p.m. and accommodates utility work.

SE

• Centre Street S is closed between 6 Avenue and 8 Avenue S.E. beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 29. This closure continues until 5 a.m. on Tuesday, August 2 and accommodates construction.

SW

• Anderson Road S.W. will be paved between 14 Street S.W. and Macleod Trail. There will be various lane closures along this stretch daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. beginning on Saturday, July 30. These closures also occur daily during these hours on Sunday, July 31 and Monday, August 1. Motorists should expect delays in the area and use alternate routes when possible.
• 17 Avenue S.W. between 8 Street and 9 Street S.W. will be closed beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 29. This closure continues until 5 a.m. on Tuesday, August 2 and accommodates deep utility installation. Eastbound traffic will be detoured to north and southbound 9 Street S.W. to 14 Avenue S.W. Westbound traffic will be detoured north of 8 Street to 14 Avenue S.W. and south on 9 Street to 17 Avenue S.W.

Intersection Approach Paving

From 5 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, July 30 there will be a various lane closures in certain intersections as part of the intersection approach paving program. Motorists should expect delays in the area.

• 16 Avenue at 6 Street N.E.
• 16 Avenue at Deerfoot Trail
• Memorial Drive at Deerfoot Trail

For more information on all these projects and more, visit Calgary.ca/paving.

Major paving projects rolling out

The City of Calgary’s Construction season is well underway, thanks in part to a mild winter. City crews and contracted forces will be working on over $39 million worth of pavement rehabilitation projects at over 140 locations around Calgary this summer and fall.

Some locations of note for this summer’s construction season include: (See interactive map)

• 14 Street N.W. from Memorial Drive to 21 Avenue N.W.
• Northmount Drive N.W. from Cambrian Drive to 4 Street N.W.
• Macleod Trail from 34 Avenue to 58 Avenue S.E.
• Bonaventure Drive S.E. from Canyon Meadows Drive to Anderson Road S.E.
• Edmonton Trail from Memorial Drive to 32 Avenue N.E.
• 36 Street N.E. from Memorial Drive to McKnight Boulevard N.E.

Every effort is made to schedule work during off peak hours and nighttime whenever possible. For more information on traffic closures, you can visit Calgary.ca/trafficinfo, or follow us on Twitter for up to the minute closure information @yyctransport.

Citizens will also notice some changes to our paving website, located at Calgary.ca/paving. This year we’ve added an interactive map that displays more details on individual projects than ever before. This map displays both City and contracted projects, as well as microsurfacing work planned for the 2016 season. Below the map there are also a number of project pages related to the major projects planned for 2016, and links to the major projects being undertaken by Transportation Infrastructure.


Finally we would like to take this opportunity to remind Calgarians that the road is our office. We ask that you please adhere to all signage posted and help our workers get their jobs done safely and effectively. This not only includes slowing down in construction zones, but also moving your vehicles when you see no parking signs prior to road paving. Road construction is a very demanding profession, and with your help and patience we can make the job go as smoothly as possible.

Calgary.ca’s paving page gets a makeover

The City is launching a new online tool to help Calgarians learn where and when paving is being done.

The new map will help citizens easily identify paving work.

This year, those who are interested in finding out where crews will be paving will notice a new user experience on Calgary.ca/paving – an interactive map highlighting Contracted and City Pavement Rehabilitation locations and micro surfacing projects.

As part of The City’s commitment to improving our user experience, the map was developed with the hope of improving transparency and helping to highlight The City of Calgary Roads Construction Division’s 2016 paving projects. The system pulls information from The City’s geographic information system and displays it on an easy–to-read map.

The City of Calgary has over 127 paving jobs planned for 2016, covering 271 lane kilometres. 70 per cent of the work will take place on major roads with the other 30 per cent in residential areas. In some areas, work has already begun on concrete repairs prior to paving.

The City of Calgary and its contracted partners are currently scheduling these projects between now until the end of October. Residents are reminded that the rehabilitation of a roadway involves several different steps, and can take up to eight weeks to complete.

Prior to road work, citizens will be required to remove their cars and will be notified via signs placed on the road at least 12 hours prior to paving. The street will be milled, manholes will be levelled and the road will then be paved.

For a detailed description of this work, see our paving steps brochure

Please keep in mind that every effort is made to adhere to construction schedules, however complications due to weather and equipment can sometimes cause delays.

For information on The City of Calgary’s 2016 paving projects, and to see the new paving map in action, visit Calgary.ca/paving

For information on The City of Calgary’s concrete programs, visit Calgary.ca/concrete

For information on The City of Calgary’s micro surfacing program, visit Calgary.ca/microsurfacing

The micro surfacing program in Calgary has begun!

A freshly microsurfaced roadway in Calgary

Blink and you might miss it. The City of Calgary’s microsurfacing program is already underway and should be completed in early September. Residents in the communities of Beddington and Falconridge will notice a new surface on several roads in their neighbourhoods over the coming weeks. Micro surfacing systems restore and preserve roadways that meet specific criteria prior to treatment.

What is Micro Surfacing?

Over time, even the best surfaces are subject to wear and tear caused by traffic and weather. Micro surfacing is the application of a special coating to the top layer of asphalt that prevents oxidization and moisture penetration. It is a cost effective preservation treatment to slow down the natural degreation of the road and preserve service life without a costly and disruptive reconstruction.

A specialized machine mixes and applies the coating in one pass, and the treatment takes between two and three hours to cure, meaning that a road that is being microsurfaced can be reopened to drivers just a few hours after work has been completed. The micro surface will reach its full strength within 72 hours of being completed.

Micro surfacing versus traditional paving

There are several benefits to microsurfacing compared to traditional paving, including:

• It is a cost-effective process and extends the service life of the road between five to eight years, depending on traffic volume.
• It has low energy requirements, making it environmentally friendly. It is also 100% recyclable. 
• The newly microsurfaced roadway can be opened to traffic within two hours.

What can you do to help?

If you live in the communities of Beddington or Falconridge, and see signs indicating your road is scheduled for microsurfacing treatment, please help us complete this work quickly and effectively by:

• Adhering to all no parking signs and ensure all vehicles are removed from the roadway prior to treatment.
• Do not drive or walk on the freshly coated micro surface before it has cured, and do not enter roadway until the barricades and signs have been removed by the contractor.
• Please refrain from using lawn sprinklers spray water onto the roadway immediately before and during work activity.
• Once traffic is allowed, try to avoid turning your steering wheel while the vehicle is stationary (dry steering) on the freshly micro surfaced road as it could damage the fresh surface.

For more information on The City of Calgary’s micro surfacing program, visit Calgary.ca/microsurfacing

Paving season is in full swing

 

As the summer rolls along so do The City’s paving crews. Paving is an important part of maintaining Calgary’s transportation network. Due to the short window for paving in the summer, citizens should expect some disruption to their commute during the summer months. To minimize traffic disruption, paving work is carried out during nights and weekends on major roads. If you are looking for more information, visit the Construction Detours map on Calgary.ca, or if you’re looking for information on a specific paving project, visit Calgary.ca/paving.

How is a road selected for paving?

There are many factors that are weighed during the evaluation of a road for paving. While some roads may appear worse than others, roads selected for paving are based on specific guidelines for road conditions and focus on those which require the most repairs.

Among the criteria are the Pavement Management System, The Pavement Quality Index rating and annual visual and automated condition surveys performed on the roads. Other factors can include the number of motorists that utilize a road on a daily basis, and utility replacement programs.

My road is scheduled for paving, now what?

The rehabilitation of a roadway involves several processes, which can take up to eight weeks to complete. If a road is scheduled for paving, utility work or concrete repair may be required prior to paving. Gutters and damaged sidewalk blocks will be replaced to ensure proper drainage.

Prior to paving, citizens will be required to remove their cars and will be notified via signs placed on the road at least 12 hours prior to paving. The street will be milled, manholes will be levelled and the road will then be paved.

For a detailed description of this work, see our paving steps brochure.

The City of Calgary would like to thank citizens for their patience during the summer construction season. Visit Calgary.ca/paving to find out if your street is scheduled for paving this summer.