The planned 6 Avenue SE extension project was brought to the February 10 Committee of the Whole meeting to provide an update on the project, which will see an extension road built connecting the intersection of Highway 56 and 6 Avenue SE to the downtown area via 2 Street East.
Tender bidding for the project closed on Friday, February 21, and it is anticipated the item will be brought forward at a future council meeting to award construction.
This has been a key project identified in the Downtown Area Revitalization Plan (DARP) since 2021 and will help to direct both vehicle and pedestrian traffic from the highway into the downtown core. Not only will the new connector road provide another access point for vehicular traffic to the downtown core, it will also tie into the Rails to Trails pathway system that runs through the area.
Council previously approved $1.4 million for the project in the 2025 Capital budget. Although the project is fully funded, applications for the provincial Local Municipal Initiative (LMI) grant funding program. If successful, this would support $650,000 of the project.
Once awarded the project will include the construction of sidewalks on both sides of the roadway to allow for full pedestrian movement at the intersection of Highway 56 and Railway Avenue East, streetlights and landscaping next to the trail system, and water and sanitary services for potential future development of the surrounding lands.
It is anticipated the project will be completed by the beginning of September 2025.
