They might be running a couple of months behind schedule, but Parks Canada is confident that a stretch of the Icefields Parkway will be more driver-friendly by the fall.

In April, the agency announced plans to resurface 30 kilometres of particularly rough road on either side of the Saskatchewan River Crossing, where Highway 93 meets Highway 11 in the northern end of Banff National Park. At the time, Parks was seeking a contracter to do the work using a technique called hot in-place recycling, a method of reusing the existing asphalt that requires specific equipment and expertise. In part because of the nature of the contract, the company that has won the bid to do the work will not be able to start until July..

The overall price tag for the two 15 kilometre stretches of road is estimated at $3.1 million, and work should be completed by September, according to Parks estimates. For the duration of the summer, work will be ongoing six days a week, with one lane of traffic open in each location. There will be small delays, but they are only expected to be in the fifteen to twenty minute range. The Icefields resurfacing project is part of a long-term plan to improve the entire length of the road, including updating pull-outs and  repaving in certain areas.

Travellers heading further south towards Banff will face a more time-consuming wait as the twinning project on the Trans-Canada Highway east of Lake Louise will be in full swing.