FAQs
Design FAQ
- 🚨 By St. Joseph’s Home
- 🆕🚨 At the corners of the business district (1 AVE NE & Division Ave N)
- 🚨 2 AVE NW
- 3 AVE NW
- 🆕🚨 5 AVE NW
- 🆕 7 AVE NW
- At the trail crossing as you leave Riverside
Will I lose any parking adjacent to my residence?
The revised design includes the same amount of on-street parking “as is.”
What is the purpose of a round-about at the intersection of 3rd Street and 2nd Avenue NE?
The roundabout has been removed from the revised design.
A round-about was being explored at this intersection to improve safety, reduce vehicle speeds, and create a more predictable traffic flow. Round-abouts encourage drivers to slow down, which reduces the risk of collisions, and improves safety for pedestrians and cyclists by minimizing conflict points and enhancing visibility. Also by reducing the speed at which vehicles enter the traffic calmed corridor, this in turn will promote slower speeds throughout the entire length of the corridor.
Can every crosswalk also have a ‘push button’ flashing light installed?
Rapid Flashing Beacons (RFBs) are installed at select crossing locations where additional safety measures are warranted, such as high pedestrian use, low crossing opportunities, limited visibility, roadway geometry or other safety considerations. It is only recommended to have these where they are warranted, otherwise drivers become desensitized to them if they are misused, thus reducing their effectiveness.
All crossings are receiving safety improvements including blub outs, and five (🚨) will have rapid light activators (including by St. Joseph’s and the commercial district).
Crosswalks in this design are located at the following locations with three new (🆕) locations being added:
Why aren’t the deep utilities including the water and sewer included in this project?
This project will see all deep utilities renewed. The area requires deep utility upgrades (water, sewer, storm, sanitary, gas, electric). This new infrastructure will address known issues, improves reliability, and prevents costly emergency repairs.
Why aren’t crosswalks proposed on every block?
Pedestrians will be able to cross at any intersecting roadway, and this project will make it easier for them to cross 3rd street with the improved sight lines, and reduced crossing distances. However, ‘marked crosswalks’ will only be installed where higher volume of pedestrians are expected, and necessary to increase the awareness and anticipation of the drivers that pedestrians are likely to cross at these locations.
How many trees are expected to be removed to fit the multi-use path within the right-of-way?
At this stage, no tree removals are planned. The alignment of the Multi-Use Pathway (MUP) has been carefully designed to respect the health of existing trees while maintaining a safe and comfortable space for people walking, rolling, and biking.
Will the City be conducting Snow Removal of the Multi-use path in front of my house?
Yes, the City will be removing snow along the multi-use path according to the priority for pathway snow removal in place at the time of the snowfall event.
Will I be able to safely navigate the intersections without hitting the curb or entering the oncoming lane of traffic?
Yes. Intersections are being carefully designed to accommodate a range of vehicles, including school buses, garbage trucks, and maintenance vehicles. These designs ensure safe, efficient turning movements for all typical road users.
Within the corridor, there are 8 of 15 intersections remain “as is” with ample turning space to accommodate larger trucks and trailers who wish to avoid bump outs.
Only 7 intersections remain with a bump-outs on one-side for enhanced crossing safety.
All remaining bump-outs have been relaxed to make smoother, easier turns.
Will this project be incorporating improvements to the boulevard area specific to the landscaping adjacent to my property? And will the City be extending my existing walkway to connect to the new MUP?
Yes, careful consideration will be made for each location where the boulevard space will be extended or altered to match the existing conditions as most suitable. Connections from existing walkways to the MUP will be constructed where required within the boulevard space.
Why is the road being “narrowed?”
The road is not being “narrowed” so much as being right-sized or optimized to improve safety. The current road is much wider than necessary, which can lead to higher vehicle speeds, reduced attention from drivers, and increased risk for everyone using the road including pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers. The updated design maintains on-street parking on both sides while calming traffic and improving visibility. This supports a safer, more livable street environment.
3 ST N is proposed to be 11.9m wide while maintaining a bus route with two-way traffic and parking on both sides. Semi-mountable (angled) curbs are added to maximize road width. The proposed 3.3m lane widths are the Transportation Association of Canada (TAC) recommended road widths for a bus lane. Many jurisdictions recommend 3.0m lane widths for bus lanes (City of Edmonton recommends 3.0 - 3.2m).
20 ST NE is the closest real-world comparison for how the road will function once complete and road width will compare to the completed 3rd Street width.
Construction FAQ
General construction impacts: Businesses and residents immediately adjacent to construction areas must receive written notice at least 14 days before work begins, with a follow‑up notice 7 days in advance.
Water and sanitary sewer interruptions:
Written notice provided at least 7 days in advance, and again at 24 hours in advance, for any planned interruption.
When interruptions are longer than 8 hours, temporary water services are required.
Where temporary water connection is needed, the contractor will coordinate an agreeable timing with affected residents a minimum of 7 days in advance.
If urgent conditions arise, contractors are required to provide as much notice as possible, including verbal notice when timelines are compressed.
Contractors must declare how many days they need to complete the work.
Finishing early results in a bonus payment per day.
Going over schedule results in penalties charged per day.
Clear wayfinding and on‑site signage directing visitors to open businesses
Promotion of available and nearby parking options
Messaging that emphasizes businesses remain open, rather than highlighting construction disruption
What happens if construction causes damage?
Why this matters: Businesses should not absorb costs from flooding, pipe breaks, or other construction-related damage.
What the City is doing: All contractors must carry insurance and meet strict liability requirements outlined in the tender documents. If damage occurs as a direct result of construction, claims are handled through the contractor’s insurance, with City oversight to help ensure appropriate resolution.
How will businesses be kept informed during construction?
Why this matters: Businesses need time to plan for road closures, water shut‑offs, and other disruptions.
What the City is doing:
While contractors are responsible for day‑to‑day construction communications once a project is awarded, the City builds mandatory notification requirements directly into project contracts. For Riverside and Downtown projects, these include:
These communication requirements are enforceable through the contract and are intended to provide businesses and residents with predictable, timely, and consistent information so they can prepare and reduce disruption as much as possible.
Will businesses receive financial relief during construction?
Why this matters: Construction impacts often affect business operators directly.
What the City is doing:
The City is open to reviewing specific concerns from the business community and working collaboratively across Municipal Works, Environmental Utilities, Economic Development, and other departments to explore potential support measures. These discussions will focus on real impacts and practical assistance options.
How will delays be prevented or addressed?
Why this matters:
Extended construction periods increase financial strain on businesses.
What the City is doing:
Most renewal projects include a Site Occupancy Clause within the contract, which creates strong financial incentives for timely completion:
In addition to the Site Occupancy Clause, tender documents may include provisions that support local presence and contractor responsiveness, an approach that has been successfully applied on many City projects and applies equally to all contractors, regardless of location.
How is construction timing being managed?
Why this matters: Summer is a peak season for tourism and activity.
What the City is doing:
Large infrastructure projects often require an entire construction season or more to complete due to project size and complexity or weather constraints. To reduce impacts to the adjacent community, work is phased to allow for the completion of one block or area before another is closed. This type of scheduling is designed to minimize prolonged disruption in one area.
Renewal projects in the downtown core have been carefully phased to limit the amount of construction occurring each year, helping manage costs while reducing cumulative disruption to residents, businesses, and seasonal activity. Utility and surface renewal projects within the downtown core are nearly complete and bring with them the reduced risk of unplanned or emergency disruptions, the improved reliability of water, sanitary, electrical, storm infrastructure and the renewed streetscape that will encourage visitors to the historic downtown.
How will signage, parking, and advertising be handled?
Why this matters:
Construction messaging should promote access, not barriers, and clearly direct customers to open businesses as well as any detours for those passing through.
What the City is doing:
Project communications will prioritize keeping businesses visible and accessible during construction. This includes:
Where feasible, project budgets may support temporary signage, accessibility improvements, and promotional efforts. In previous downtown projects, the City has partnered with communications and economic development teams to deliver coordinated advertising campaigns encouraging continued visitation and to facilitate subsidized advertising opportunities for impacted businesses. Similar approaches may be explored for the Riverside and future Downtown projects, including options for additional or adjusted parking.
How does the City’s tendering process work?
Projects are awarded through a competitive process that balances cost, compliance with specifications, and accountability measures such as site occupancy and communication requirements. This ensures fairness while encouraging efficiency and responsiveness.
Why can’t the City commit to firm construction dates right now?
Precise schedules depend on tendering outcomes, contractor availability, weather, and underground conditions that may not be fully known until work begins. The City will share timelines as soon as they are reasonably certain and offers tentatively scheduling years in advance through our public engagement efforts, which have included direct mailers to residents and businesses on estimated construction periods.
Will local contractors be prioritized?
Why this matters: Hiring local supports the economy and ensures contractors understand local conditions.
What the City is doing: The City values the role of local contractors and recognizes their knowledge of community conditions. However, City procurement must follow principles of fairness, including geographic neutrality and non‑discrimination. This means the City cannot award contracts based solely on locality.
That said, tender documents can include requirements related to responsiveness, communication, and project management, which help ensure contractors—local or not—are accountable and accessible once on site.