LAC LA BICHE – Construction crews were out on the morning of April 22 setting up barricades to block off a section of 101 Avenue (Main Street) in Lac La Biche between 101 Street and 100 Street in preparation for work to start on the third and final phase of the Main Street revitalization project.
The $32.5 million makeover of Lac La Biche’s main street, which has been ongoing since 2021 and spans 101 Avenue from 100 to 103 Street, involves the replacement of underground utility lines, the addition of benches, landscape beds, new trees, as well as updated street lighting.
Construction crews also put signage to notify motorists about detours that are in place.
The intersection of 100 Street and 101 Avenue was also closed off on April 22, and motorists used the detour that had been created last September in the southwest corner of the newly updated McArthur Park through the corner of McArthur Park for the purpose of averting traffic through the area during phase three.
The paved detour allows motorists travelling from the east to access the downtown from 101 Avenue.
According to information from Lac La Biche County, this year, Main Street, between 101 Street and 100 Street, is intended to be closed for construction on the week of April 22 until approximately Aug. 31, weather permitting.
The information also provided two layouts showing traffic accommodations during the third and final phase of the project. In the first layout, 100 Street will be fully closed, and traffic will be required to bypass the intersection using the detour.
In the second layout, the intersection at 100 Street and 101 Avenue will be open as a three-way stop approximately until the end of June.
“Traffic flow will be controlled through stop signs and modified pedestrian access will be maintained throughout the road closure,” according to the County. “The contractor will strive to implement Layout 2 of the Traffic Accommodations as much as construction permits.”
The County advised the public to be aware that all construction taking place and the project is dependent on weather. During the construction period, there will also be modified pedestrian access.
“Signage for road closures and detours will be set up to direct traffic from all directions,” according to the County.
As the block of 101 Avenue was being prepped for construction, the section of 101 Street from AG Foods to the intersection with 102 Avenue was returned to a two-way street. Last October, as a portion of Main Street from 103 Street to 102 Street was opened to traffic for the first time in six months, crews repainted street lines and added road signs to change the block of 101 Street from a two-way street to a one-way for northbound traffic only.
This temporary change has been in the plans of the Main Street revitalization project since its inception.
“Council has made the decision to return the street to its original two-way traffic flow, allowing for both northbound and southbound access,” according to the County. “Please plan your travel accordingly, and use caution as drivers adjust to the change.”
