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Railyway Street construction nearing an end

“I get that people are frustrated— Everybody wants it done sooner or later."
20200916 RAILWAY STREET 0002
Construction continues on Railway Street on Wednesday (Sept. 16). The project is expected to be completed in late September or early October. (Chelsea Kemp/The Cochrane Eagle)

COCHRANE— Cochrane Town Council has approved an additional $700,000 in funding to complete the Railway Street construction project.

The additional costs were incurred to cover the cost of removing asbestos-cement pipe discovered during construction.

“I get that people are frustrated— Everybody wants it done sooner or later,” said Mayor Jeff Genung.

Genung said he is glad a solution has been found and council agreed to fund the remaining bits of the project at their meeting on Monday (Sept. 14)

Due to the discovery, crews had to dig an extra two metres for about half the length of the road, adding extra time and money to the project.  All asbestos has now been removed.

The additional cost brings the total budget of the project to $3.49 million. The project is approximately 85 per cent complete and the road is expected to be painted and paved by early October.

The additional funding for the project will come from the Municipal Sustainability Initiative Capital Grant and will cover the additional cost, while adding contingency funds for the completion of the work.

It is unfortunate the project hit a snag with the asbestos, Genung said, but in a community that has had infrastructure in the ground for 100 years, it can prove challenging anticipating what will be found during construction work.

The Railway Street construction is centred on upgrading utilities in the area and will replace water and sewer mains in the area and add storm system infrastructure to encourage development in the area, said infrastructure and operational services acting general manager Raymond Predika.

“We have to get that street back up and functioning,” Genung said. “It’s going to be good when it’s done.”

The Railway Street upgrades were approved as part of the 2020 Capital Budget and are part of the first phase of the Tri-Site redevelopment— Which includes the Transit Hub and Innovation Centre.

The major benefit of completing the project is it will aid council in its vision of driving up density and establish new businesses in the downtown core, he said.

“It’s paving the way, pardon the pun, for that area to redevelop,” Genung said. “We’ve really set the stage for that to redevelop without having a real constraint.”

The long term plan for the area is to establish the Transit Hub and Innovation Hub with a railway pedestrian crossing linking the Historic Downtown to the Quarry.

Predika said the Town pushed hard to finalize a design for the Railway Street construction and were able to put the project out to tender the same week Premier Jason Kenney announced Stage One of the Alberta Economic Relaunch. He added the Town received positive responses from tenders and aggressive pricing from vendors because there were not a lot of projects at the time for contractors.

There are three parts to the project— The Innovations Hub and the land around it, Railway Street utility upgrades and the construction of a parking lot adjacent to the library.

The infrastructure in the area was slated for replacement because of age, Predika said. He added the water main was undersized for the anticipated development in the area and would have been severely taxed as the density grows as the area is developed and revitalized.

Councillor Tara McFadden said the Railway Street utility project is a key project that needs to be complete.

She praised the project for staying within its original budget even after the discovery of asbestos.

"Hats off for your aggressive bargaining at the beginning," she said. "I'm glad to hear that the project is going to be completed in October."

The council meeting was unique as it was the first time council has met in-person since March.

Genung noted it was great to be back in-person for council meetings. All councillors were present for the first meeting at the Cochrane RancheHouse aside from Coun. Patrick Wilson.

Genung said he appreciates the human interaction and the ability to meet in person. Working virtually allowed them to stay connected, he said, but, the level needed to function as efficiently as possible works best in-person.

Cochrane Council was one of the only communities in Alberta to not miss a meeting during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Welcome back from summer but also welcome back in-person,” Genung said. "We're back in our council chambers tonight and it feels really good."

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