This is the fifth installment of a weekly update column courtesy the city’s Columbia Project Communications Task Force.
Blasting of the bedrock under Columbia Avenue took place on Sunday. This was expertly managed, as the five blasts were scarcely felt or heard. This week, blasted rock is being removed and the sewer line will be installed.
The core sampling done prior to the dig did not discover the bedrock because the bedrock was situated too close to the existing pipes. To take core samples from there, they would have risked putting drills through our current water and sewer lines, creating a city utilities disaster. Coming across bedrock at some point was to be expected.
This week, there will be parallel parking along Columbia Ave, between St. Paul and Washington, as often as possible, whenever safety allows. Parking along Columbia Ave will be ever changing as the construction continues.
The traffic cones are being strategically positioned and re-positioned by Copcan according to the changing location of construction and flow of traffic, for the sake of public safety. Please do not adjust the layout: not only does this create potential safety issues, but it also costs Rosslanders money as our contractors have to take the time to gather and re-position them. We all appreciate a creative joke, but not when it costs Rossland taxpayers money, or our safety.
The intersection at St. Paul and Columbia Avenue has now re-opened. This intersection may have to close again periodically. Every attempt will be made to allow crossing across Columbia Avenue at Queen Street, by the Post Office, whenever possible.
The parking lot behind the Post Office is very nearly complete and will be done as soon as asphalt millings are available for the ground surfacing.
Construction tourism is alive and well in Rossland and will be promoted further; kids love big machines (so do lots of adults). Rediscovering Sourdough Alley and encouraging summertime Christmas shopping are other promotions we would like to work on toward helping Rossland’s valuable downtown merchants. Please do your part to support these merchants, and if you have any ideas to promote downtown Rossland this summer, please let us know at columbiaproject@rossland.ca.
As always, please contact us at your Columbia Project Communications Task Force with any project related questions or concerns you have, and please call 250-362-2328 for any technical questions or concerns on construction operations.