16 Ave extension expected to start this summer

Submitted by the Town of Coaldale

By Nikki Jamieson
Sunny South News

A road extension will help improve connectivity in northwest Coaldale, as the area undergoes development.

During a Public Hearing for a rezoning bylaw to allow for the adjustment of the position of the joint rec centre/high school site on the quarter section. The 16 Avenue extension had been in town documents since 2007.

“The extension of 16 Avenue has been planned for quite some time, as has the north/south connection that will provide access to the joint school and multi-use recreation centre from 18 Avenue. The adjustment to where the school and recreation centre are located within the site will not have an impact on the transportation network enhancements being carried out for the project,” said Spencer Croil, director of Planning and Community Development for the Town of Coaldale.

“The school and recreation centre will be constructed approximately 200 metres north and west of the previous build site. This means the construction of those facilities is removed from surrounding properties more so than it would have been if the adjustment hadn’t taken place. As for the construction of the roads being built to serve the facilities, that will not change – as the roads that were planned for the previous site are the same roads that will serve the facilities at the new site.”

In addition to the 16 Avenue extension, a new north/south road will be built that will connect the 16 Avenue extension to 18 Avenue, allowing access to the school and recreation centre from south of the site, as well as from the east.

Croil said these roads were planned prior to the site adjustment on the quarter section, and as additional neighbourhood planning is completed for the other developable parts of the quarter section, new roadways will be added, noting direct connections to 30 Street are “envisioned” in the future.

More details can be found in the town’s Transportation Master Plan, which can be found on the town’s website.

While the road extension has been planned for some time now, the school and rec centre already have a large footprint, and if it is decided to add more amenities to the site, such as an additional soccer field, the project would require more space to grow.

While there are currently no plans to add any other amenities to the site, moving it to the north side of the quarter section would allow for a greater ease of expansion to the west, if required. It positions the school better to the wetlands.

“The slight adjustment to where on the site the school and recreation centre will be constructed will allow for a more direct connection to the wetlands. This will allow for ease of access for any coursework students may undertake that is wetland specific, a more direct connection to the pathways system from both facilities, and more favourable views from both the school and recreation centre, to the wetlands.”

The 16 Avenue extension and the new north/south road connecting the extension of 16 Avenue to 18 Avenue will be tendered by the end of May, with construction expected to begin in midsummer.

Proactive communications will be sent out to surrounding properties before construction begins on the potential impacts from construction and the mitigation strategies that will be put in place once the work starts.

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