The Dracup Avenue project in Yorkton is becoming a never ending story in terms of infrastructure needs.
The project was initially given back in 2014, and while it started last year in earnest, much of the work seemed to stall out as the scope of the work was broadened, and some already completed work was redone.
Now the project will continue through 2016, and into 2017 as underground infrastructure work is undertaken this year from Darlington south to Broadway.
Concrete paving of the entire street from York Road to Broadway lies ahead, as does construction of a roundabout to help maintain traffic flow in an area where traffic is likely to grow based on the new Parkland College Trades and Technology Centre.
The College facility of course is the wild card in the entire process. There is a vision which would see two additional phases undertaken around the college. One would include student residences, and both would of course impact traffic flows when they are completed.
Of course the current economy would suggest such expansion work may be farther down the road than would have been hoped when the existing Centre opened, so when the full impact on Dracup and traffic flow is realized is rather difficult to peg.
The work being undertaken this year has factored some of that into the planning process, with a four lane roadway reduced to three and that only in the plan for the future, starting out as a two-lane which can be developed into a three when traffic counts warrant.
That is wise work by City of Yorkton Administration.
In this case Administration took a rather different approach to planning than is the norm, at least for Yorkton.
Firstly the City requested a pre-qualification process before accepting tenders. The pre-qualification was employed to identify contractors qualified to complete the project.
Through pre-determined criteria, pre-qualification eliminates candidates who do not demonstrate the necessary technical expertise, managerial ability, financial capacity, project success rates and relevant experience for the project at hand.
In addition to implementing the pre-qualification process for this project, the City’s capital project team was closely involved in the design process with Integrated Engineering. Together, the team identified and investigated the following design considerations to be utilized upon construction providing considerable cost savings to the project.
Hopefully the upfront work will ensure the work through 2016 goes more smoothly than last year.
Of course one thing the overall Dracup project will be is a reference point from which to draw experience if the City ever finds the funding support from the federal and provincial governments to tackle the complete reconstruction of Broadway Street.
That project has been pegged at near $50 million, although the unknowns regarding underground infrastructure makes that number at best an educated guess.
And that price is already dated, having been bandied about a year, or more ago. When the project is undertaken at some point, and realistically that is likely a decade, or perhaps far more ahead, it’s anyone’s guess at the cost.
But the Dracup experience should provide insights into the possible pitfalls of a major project, and the process undertaken before awarding this year’s tender for the work should by then be proven as a way to alleviate concerns, and to have a better handle on the real costs of a project as large as street reconstruction is.
Dracup should also provide some insight into the public backlash a Broadway Street project will create. Such a project will again be multi-year, and that will mean an extended period of disruption for residents who use Broadway as the major street through the city, and of course it will be a major detriment to businesses along the street as well.
The current work will at least provide some experience for the City to draw on for what will be the biggest infrastructure project in the city’s history should work on Broadway ever been given the green light.
