Historic main streets are the heart of any downtown, but without updated infrastructure, a beloved thoroughfare can quickly turn into an unsafe artery. Discover how our transportation engineers are leading Lac La Biche’s Main Street through an ambitious revitalization that will improve accessibility, decrease congestion, and boost aesthetic appeal on every block.
Stuck in the slow lane
Hugging the scenic curves of northeastern Alberta, Canada is the Hamlet of Lac La Biche, a charming community led by the motto “welcoming by nature”. The downtown main street area boasts a vibrant collection of small businesses, restaurants, and more, but as the area enjoyed rapid growth, outdated infrastructure began to block future development. Uneven sidewalks and congested parking areas made the street difficult to navigate, while constant winter watermain breaks, drainage problems, and aging utilities were putting a strain on county repair crews.
In order to best serve residents and tourists alike, the Lac La Biche Council sought out an ambitious revitalization effort to not only address structural issues but also enhance the beauty and overall community experience of everything Main Street has to offer.
Getting the green light
V3 answered the call to bring back functionality and aesthetic appeal to downtown Lac La Biche. As part of the multiyear Main Street Revitalization Project, our team has provided transportation and municipal engineering services, as well as planning expertise, to support these efforts.
Work began with extensive community engagement to understand the needs and concerns of the community. From there, our planning team created a detailed report mapping out design elements, design products, a construction cost estimate, and proactive recommendations related to overcoming construction challenges.
Proposed improvements included:
- Utility: Replacement of 900 meters of watermain, 400 meters of sanitary sewer, 60 lot services, replacement of 830 meters of sanitary sewer, and the addition of 500m of new storm sewer mains.
- Surface: 1,500 meters of curb, 13,000 square meters of standard and decorative sidewalk, and 17,000 square meters of asphalt.
- Streetscape: Boulevard trees, landscape beds, entrance columns, outdoor speakers, lighting, and traffic calming measures.
The plan was approved in 2022, with construction activities divided into three phases—tackling one block at a time—so as to minimize disruption to local businesses.
Keeping both eyes on the road
The V3 team has been a constant Main Street presence since construction began. Being on site and connecting with the community has allowed us to assess any challenges and address new ideas in real time.
Our constant engagement with affected businesses and County administration educated us on the preferences and needs of the community. This led us to implementing an adaptive strategy for traffic and pedestrian accommodations and communicating with the public. Over the course of the first year, we implemented increased signage, business directories, pedestrian routes, and public engagement sessions that went well beyond typical accommodation needs on a project of this nature. Well into the second year, we have seen a greatly improved attitude from the businesses, and the construction work is ongoing with reduced business impacts.
During construction, our on-site representation and active problem solving is a constant requirement when replacing aging infrastructure. There have been many instances of revised utility designs, improved surface grading, and reconfiguration of surface improvements to work with the on-site conditions that may not be known until construction starts. These changes are made to align with best Engineering practices, improved operation and maintenance for the County, reduced project costs, and improve the functionality for the community.
The first construction phase was completed in 2023. When Phase 2 kicked off in 2024, we were able to use our deep understanding of the area to create efficiencies and get ahead of known issues. As work continues, we look forward to the improved safety, beautification, and all-around livability the completed revitalization will bring.
“This project has been my favourite challenge I’ve worked on in my career. With the age of the infrastructure, and the variety of building vintages, every day faces you with a new problem to solve. It has also been a great experience in collaborating with so many partners, subconsultants, contractors, and stakeholders in the project. We regularly interact with our own planning and transportation teams, landscape architects, electrical and structural engineers, utility companies, and the local businesses and members of the public in Lac La Biche. Out of all of the projects I’ve work on in Lac La Biche County over the last eight years, Main Street is going to leave the most meaningful imprint on the community and its visitors. I hope to be able to visit Lac La Biche in the future and experience a vibrant Main Street enjoyed by tourists and locals alike.”
Adam Boyko, Construction Services Coordinator
Work with V3’s Transportation experts
Developing safe and efficient transportation systems takes experienced leadership and a creative approach. We offer sensible solutions to meet the unique challenges of each project based on a combination of foresight, industry standards, and best practices. Connect with our team to learn more.