Caribou Street Reconstruction

The reconstruction of Caribou Street, between Lynx Street and Banff Avenue, is scheduled for 2025. This work will replace the water, sewer and storm drainage systems under the road, which are almost 100 years old and are at the end of their life expectancy. The main lines and all connections to properties need to be replaced due to the risk of failure. Periodic repairs and lining of pipes will no longer maintain these essential services.

The project will also upgrade surface infrastructure to enhance customer access to businesses and improve the pedestrian experience on this important commercial street. Caribou Street from Bear Street to Banff Avenue will be rebuilt as one surface without curbs, extending the Bear Street design. The project will also improve the safety of vehicles and pedestrians by realigning the Caribou Street intersection at Lynx Street.

Construction will cause access closures
The reconstruction is necessary, but the Town recognizes that the excavation of the entire street to replace the water and sanitary sewer main lines and connections to buildings will be very disruptive to businesses. The later phases to replace the roadbed, drainage system, planters and block paver surface will also be very disruptive to public access to the businesses on the street.

Public Input

The Town is consulting with property owners and businesses on Caribou Street to collect suggestions for making the project better. In two meetings in late 2023 and January 2024, the Town presented the rough plans (see documents) for reconstruction. Location of underground utilities affects options for placing surface amenities, such as planters with trees, benches and garbage bins.

The Town is seeking input from tenants of the street on the locations of public amenities on the surface of the road – tree planters, garbage bins, bike racks, winter parking – to help finalize designs by April 2024, in order to prepare a tender to request proposals from construction companies.

The Town is also seeking input from Caribou Street businesses about timing of the construction work to have the least amount of disruption. Excavation work at the beginning of the project and road surface construction at the latter stages must occur when there is no frost in the ground, which is usually May to November. The Town is collecting suggestions for construction in months when access closures will have the least amount of impact for businesses, and if the impacts on the east portion are different than the west portion.

The Town also wants to hear suggestions for time of week and time of day when construction has least impact, for phases when this may be able to be managed.

The suggestions will be part of the package of information given to companies that will bid on the project, with a request for cost and duration for different scenarios.

Only businesses of Caribou Street are asked for input at this stage.