City rolls out 2019 paving program this week

Regardless of how you use it, there’s nothing quite as good as fresh pavement. This year, roads at more than 90 locations in Calgary will be resurfaced, bringing fresh pavement to each quadrant. Starting this week, City and contracted crews will be replacing damaged asphalt and concrete to make our roads smoother and safer for all road users.

For the 2019 construction season, nearly $30 million has been allocated to maintain The City’s existing roadways through lifecycle maintenance construction - paving and concrete work.

Some of the larger project areas this year include:

64 Avenue N.E. (between Castleridge Boulevard and Falconridge Boulevard)
4 Street N.W. (between 16 Avenue N.W. and 32 Avenue N.W.)
19 Street N.W. (between 18 Avenue and John Laurie Boulevard)
Crowchild Trail N.W. (from Tuscany Station to Twelve Mile Coulee Road)
Parkdale Boulevard and 3 Avenue N.W. (from Kensington Road to 37 Street N.W.)
Cambrian Drive N.W. (between Northmount Drive N.W. and Rosehill Drive N.W.)
Barlow Trail S.E. (from Shepard Road S.E. to Deerfoot Trail limits)

“Several projects this year will be welcome news to those who use these routes and have been asking for smoother roads,” says Manager of Construction Barry Poon. “All of this work will help keep our transportation network in good condition, so it is efficient and safe for all road users from pedestrians, to cyclists, transit users and motorists.”

The City’s Pavement Rehabilitation Program is an important investment that ensures our roads are constantly maintained “to avoid full-road reconstruction, which is quite costly and inconvenient for drivers,” adds Poon.

Of the 230 lane-kilometres that will be paved this year, City forces will be doing 128 lane-kilometres and Contract Services (City Contractors) will be doing 102 lane-kilometres. “This contracted work helps our private industry roadbuilding partners as they are able to hire more staff and stimulate the economy right here in Calgary,” Poon says.

Roads Director Troy McLeod says this year, The City will also be taking advantage of favourable rates. “This means we can get more work done with the same budget and our contractors can help us complete all the necessary work within the short summer construction season.” All materials and asphalt products are locally supplied in Alberta and strengthen our economy.

Safety of workers and the public will be The City’s top priority this construction season. McLeod says with increased construction activities on the road, drivers are reminded to slow down and watch out for crews on-site

“The road is our crews’ office and we want to make sure they get home safe after every shift. We ask motorists to please obey flag persons and adhere to all traffic control devices and signage posted so our workers can get their jobs done safely and effectively,” says McLeod.

Other helpful tips for drivers include:

Plan trips with the expectation that travel will take a few minutes longer during the summer construction season.
Use alternate routes if you know the whereabouts of a construction zone to help reduce traffic congestion and related risks.
Obey speed limits in construction zones. Sometimes hazards are not visible to motorists, but still pose a threat.
Obey all rules and signs even when people and equipment are not working – these are there for your safety and there may be danger present
Cooperate with other drivers to keep traffic moving smoothly. When traffic needs to merge because of a lane closure, ease into the driving lane early and leave gaps for other vehicles to merge.

Paving work will continue until the end of October and will be scheduled during off-peak hours and at night when possible to mitigate impacts to road users. We ask that residents be patient, slow down and obey all construction signage and detours. We also ask that citizens remove their vehicles from roadways as requested to allow us to complete our work efficiently and in a timely manner.

The City would also like to remind citizens they are able to see all roadway projects, including paving, on the Roadway Activities Map. For more information on this year’s paving projects, visit Calgary.ca/paving.

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