3.18.2009

13th Ave to be Rebuilt

At last night's Cathedral Area Community Association annual general meeting, Councillor Fred Clipsham announced that this summer 13th Avenue -- the street itself -- will be dug up and rebuilt. Sounds like it'll be more than just a resurfacing job. The plan is to dig up the entire roadbed -- the sidewalks will also likely get redone -- and then build a spiff new avenue. Once completed, 13th Ave will sport something that Regina cyclists have been longing for: bikelanes. Also, the drainage should be improved which means this might be the last winter of mini-skating rinks at major intersections along that street.

Work will not start until after the conclusion of the Cathedral Village Arts Festival.

4 comments:

The Mouth Journal said...

Good to hear, except for the actual noise, inconvenience and mess. Summer 2009 will be a write-off for Cathedral.

I've actually long believed that from 3 or 4 blocks in west from Albert, 13th should be right closed off to motorized vehicle traffic from May to Sept, or ever year round, up until 13th Avenue coffeehouse. Sure people would have to use side streets to get into safeway and Westminster United and whatever, but whatever. (Entrepreneurial experts may hurl their Star Trek toys at my head to explain why I'm misguided.)

13th, specifically from Retallack to Cameron is 1. too busy; 2. too crazy; 3. too dangerous; 4, too ugly; 5. too noisy; 6. too dilapidated.

13th is used as a secondary artery from the Northwest to downtown, and it sucks! Close it down!

observer said...

paul, what will happen to the on-street parking once the bike lanes are instituted?

here will the bike lanes start and finish?

were any 13th ave businesses present? was information presented about whether they were consulted? what was their attitude to it?

Paul Dechene said...

All good questions and I don't have answers for you, observer. I know that there was public consultation around the bike lanes last year and that people -- businesses and residents -- are behind them. But as for the details of what they'll look like, I'm not certain.

As for the street renovation, the community association was pleased at the news. (Full disclosure: I'm on the community association board, but I wasn't speaking for them on this, and I'm not now.)

I'm in Ottawa right now for a friend's wedding but when I get back maybe I'll give Mr Clipsham a call and ask him for more details.

observer said...

thanks for telling me about this

i will contact clipsham directly

my concern is that the city won't mark any lines on 12th and 14th ave, and won't remark the faded lines on 15th in expectation of the increased traffic on those streets. people drive (and park) like brown's cows on avenues parallel to 13th already