Residents and visitors driving through Altona have been enjoying a much smoother ride this summer as the town-wide road renewal project nears completion.
Maple Leaf Construction was awarded the million-dollar contract for the project that was prioritized in the town’s 2024 budget. Their crews have been plugging away at locations throughout the community since July 2.
Altona Mayor Harv Schroeder says the project became possible through last year’s basket funding.
“It was a one-time increase, so we decided to put that money towards much-needed upgrading and renewal of the streets in town.”
Initially they thought they’d be looking at four or five priority points. But after Maple Leaf evaluated the streets, the list began to grow.
According to Schroeder, about 4,000 linear metres on 26 local roads were pegged as requiring some mill and fill work.
“Some of those streets needed curve and gutter repair and the concrete swales really needed to be fixed before we could start the mill and fill, so the crews spent the first two weeks doing that. The third week, they started milling, and the fourth week, they started applying asphalt.”
Public works manager Clint Derksen says the finished product is expected to last 20 years.
“Most of the work was done with water flow in mind. Some of the tough spots needed adjustments on height for water, so it’s not just sitting there. Altona is notoriously flat, so they faced some challenges with directing water, but I think we’ve worked around all of them. In some cases, slope was added over the original design of the road, so we’re expecting a long life out of these roads.”
He adds, “The majority of the work is done. Now it’s mostly patching and smoothing, for instance at the end of driveways where the road ended up being a little higher. They’ll smooth that transition out so it still directs water properly. There were other areas that needed patching as well, from various water and sewer patches over the years. This wasn’t part of the original project, but while the crews are here, they’ll be filling those spots as well.”
Derksen adds that many local businesses also took advantage of the situation, patching up parking lots and walkways.
A few of the final projects included resurfacing on 4th Street SW where motorists have spent a few years navigating potholes and other eroded sections of the street where rainwater tends to collect, as well as repairs and asphalt resurfacing along the loop at the Altona Centennial Park.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve done a huge project like this, and it’s just great to see the finished result. Just drive down Centre Ave. and look north and south and you can see most of the work that’s been done,” adds Schroeder.
“We’ve really appreciated the community’s patience and cooperation during the repair work as streets were frequently closed and traffic was safely redirected. I also want to thank Maple Leaf Construction for their speed and efficiency. They’ve done a great job in town here, and the quality of work looks really good.”
