By Sam Borsato - @BorsatoSam on Twitter

Funding approval moves Whoop Up Drive, Metis Trail projects closer to construction

Oct 17, 2016 | 8:34 PM

LETHBRIDGE – More than $15-million has officially been allocated for the expansions of Whoop Up Drive and Metis Trail on Lethbridge’s west side.
 
That breaks down to $5.8-million for the twinning of Whoop Up Drive, from McMaster to Mauretania Boulevard, and another $9.7-million to complete Metis Trail, from Walsh to Whoop Up Drive. Funding will be used for detailed designs, as well as construction.
 
The money will be borrowed from the Alberta Capital Finance Authority that the City will pay back over the course of 15 years.
 
“This allows us to go out for tenders. So, we will go out with a design package and seek bids, ” noted Mayor Chris Spearman. “We’re confident we’ll be able to go ahead with the projects, as long as they’re under budget.”
 
He’s hopeful that construction can begin on Whoop Up by this coming spring. Metis Trail is slated to begin shortly after that phase is complete.
 
City Council approved a plan to fast track both projects on August 22, 2016. The twinning was originally scheduled to finish in 2022, while the Metis Trail phase wouldn’t have been done until 2024.

Byron Buzunis, Project Manager, said planners saw the opportunity to take advantage of the current slowing construction environments that pose competitive pricing, while also avoiding future inflation costs.
 
Mayor Spearman is looking forward to getting construction underway soon.
 
“The west side is growing at twice the rate of the other sides of town, about four-per cent a year. We’re already getting complaints about traffic congestion, so the sooner we can address it, the better it will be for the community.”