Wandering River residents will soon be getting a newly paved 1st Street, which has been littered with potholes for years, but 1A Street will not be included in the work as first hoped.
“We were led up the wrong side of the street,” said county councillor Jack Dowhaluk at a meeting last Thursday, believing the hamlet he represents is getting less than first thought.
Athabasca County asked Alberta Transportation last April to enter into a 50/50 cost partnership to complete the base paving of 1st Street, 1A Street and Township Road 720 in the Hamlet of Wandering River.
The county requested at that time that a “bulb turnaround” not be included in the work, but instead base paving of the north side of 1st Street and 1A Street be included in the work as a larger turnaround.
Athabasca County director of infrastructure services Brian Adamkewicz told county council last week that Alberta Transportation engineers estimated paving the north end of 1st Street and 1A Street would be roughly $1 million. The county hoped to split that cost with Alberta Transportation.
“The (county’s) $500,000 was guaranteed in the letter to the minister if the work was done on 1st Street and 1A Street,” said Adamkewicz.
When the county did not hear back from Alberta Transportation, then-Reeve David Yurdiga sent a letter dated Oct. 3 to Minister of Transportation Rick McIver, informing the minister of the county’s Sept. 17 council motion to commit to a maximum of $500,000 for the base paving of 1st Street within the Hamlet of Wandering River in what the reeve called a “critical project.”
The county heard back from Alberta Transportation on Oct. 22 in a letter that said Alberta Transportation did not have the funding to front the remaining $500,000 required to complete the project; and at any rate, the provincial ministry argued, it is up to the “local road authority” (Athabasca County) to maintain municipal roads.
Adamkewicz said Alberta Transporation did, however, agree to support building and paving a bulb turnaround instead of paving 1A Street.
“The turnaround was an idea that came back from Alberta Transportation,” said Adamkewicz. “They are using the turnaround concept because it is similar to one in Whitecourt that has already been completed.”
Two current entrances to Highway 63 from 1st Street will be blocked off by Highway 63 twinning.
Alberta Transportation required the county to signal its intent by Nov. 1 on whether it wanted the 1st Street paving to be included in “remaining Highway 63 twinning work,” on the condition that the county would fund 100 per cent of the project.
Dowhaluk was discontented at last Thursday’s county council meeting, where the issue was discussed. He said Alberta Transportation’s intention “changes everything” and referred to the issue with strong language.
County council passed a motion “that administration be authorized to request that Alberta Transportation consider adding 1st Street in Wandering River as a deletable item within their Highway 63 project contract.”
If the project is designated a “deletable item” in the tender, county council will have a future opportunity to alter its decision depending on the outcome of calls for tender.
Dowhaluk voted against the motion.
The county responded last Friday to Alberta Transportation saying council supported the inclusion of 1st Street in the upcoming tender for the Highway 63 paving work inclusive of the portion of 1st Street south of Fas Gas.
Adamkewicz said the latest county proposal to Alberta Transportation is for the county to still authorize up to $500,000 in paving for the north half of 1st Street (no longer inclusive of 1A Street).
The county-funded paving on the north side of 1st Street would be applied overtop of pre-base paving (a thick gravel layer) that Alberta Transportation has already agreed to pay for.
The tender for work to the south side of 1st Street is considered part of the Highway 63 twinning project and will be covered by Alberta Transportation.
“Basically, the intent was to piggyback on the Highway 63 project,” said Adamkewicz, which he said is not uncommon when a bigger project is taking place in a municipality.
The county repaired potholes on 1st Street, which is currently unpaved, last month after persistent complaints from residents.
