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Crews continue work along South Railway

Jun 14, 2018 | 4:30 PM

 

MEDICINE HAT, AB — It’s expected the construction project along South Railway Street will move into the fifth and final stage by the end of the month.

The original timeline would have had the entire project completed by last fall but a number of issues delayed construction into this summer.

Traffic is down to one lane and detours have some drivers avoiding the area altogether.

More work, including line painting, will need to be completed closer to the beginning of the project, near the bottom of Scholten Hill. Right now, crews are focused on the area near the Allowance Avenue overpass.

The entire project is now expected to be complete by August.

Project manager Sandeep Pareek said it was necessary to cut traffic down and only let one lane through.

“To make it very safe for the people and the workers at the same time, I think this is one step that is working well for us now,” he said. “So yeah, it’s a little bit of inconvenience for people to make that little bit longer detour, but in the end, it’s safety and people should understand that.”

There’s a lot of small, local businesses in the area, everything from restaurants to shops.

One business group is voicing their concerns and believe no business should suffer because of a construction project.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business said they’ve heard complaints from businesses across the country when it comes to the impact a project can have on their bottom line.

Numbers show nearly half of people they surveyed said their sales declined. Others suffered significant stress and one in five had to rely on savings.

Amber Ruddy, the Alberta director with CFIB, said the organization is recommending municipalities adopt new policy around construction projects. One of the ideas is to offer compensation which would help minimize the impact a project could have, especially if unforeseen circumstances pop up along the way.

“Small businesses are suffering with more than just the dust and dirt,” she said over the phone from Calgary. “In some cases, it’s restricted parking and that drives customers away, so I really do think that there is a role that the municipal government should be playing in helping to maintain these businesses that are the back bone of our local economies.”

Ruddy suggests cities look at a comprehensive planning approach, which she described as the ‘dig once’ principal, where crews finish one job before moving on, instead of having to come back after some work is completed.

She also suggests the idea of bonuses if jobs are completed early and penalties if they go beyond the timeline.

We reached out to Mayor Ted Clugston but he was unavailable for comment.