Preliminary work on a pedestrian underpass at the Hazel Avenue/ Highway 93A level railroad crossing will start this year after municipal council agreed to move the item forward one year in the capital plan.

The project had been on the books to begin in 2007 and while the construction work will still be completed next year, 2006 will see a conceptual design planned and discussed.

Having this planning work completed one year earlier than originally anticipated allows for a more accurate budget projection for the main project and will also enable the municipality to start construction earlier in 2007, with an eye towards completing the underpass in time for the summer tourist season.

Yet another positive outcome of the choice to accelerate the project is that it takes full advantage of grant funding available through the Banff-Jasper special infrastructure program. The overall cost of completing an engineering design has been budgeted at $52,000, most of which will be provided by the grant. Had the underpass project not been moved forward, that available funding would have been lost to the municipality altogether.

The planning process will identify on which side of the road the underpass will be built, among other design recommendations.

“They’ll scope out options on both sides of Hazel,” said Ken Quackenbush, Director of Environmental Services for the municipality. “I like the idea of putting it in on the north side but there’s a lot of utilities there to work around so we’ll probably end up on the south side. That will service the RV lot and the new hostel.”

There are essentially two main design options for the underpass. It can be built like a bridge with a short approach, or alternatively like a tunnel with lighting. In either case, the pathway that passes under the CN tracks will be at least as wide as the town perimeter trail, said Quackenbush.

“You would be able to get a small tractor through for snow clearing,” he said.

Growth in the Stan Wright Industrial Park and the development of the RV parking lot means that there has been an increase in foot traffic across the tracks in that location, Quackenbush said. If Hostelling International proceeds with plans to develop a new facility along the 93A, there will be another major growth in pedestrian numbers as a result. Meanwhile, CN trains stand to get longer and more frequent in conjunction with a massive transport terminal that will be built in Prince Rupert.

“The wait times are just going to get worse and worse,” said Quackenbush. “They are prediciting longer trains and longer waits. If you are in a car it’s no problem — you can go around (to the underpasses on either end of Connaught Drive) but it’s too far for pedestrians.”

The feedback that Quackenbush and his municipal colleagues have received regarding wait times and disruptions at the crossing has come mostly from town staff and Parks employees, but he anticipates a major increase in comments during the summer months from RV drivers trying to get to and from town.

A CN spokesperson said that the company has a 1-800 number for complaints and is bound by federal regulations that enforce time limits for the amount of time a train can be stationary at a level crossing.

“We know that it’s an annoyance and we do abide by the federal regulations, but operationally there’s really nothing we can do to prevent delays other than the construction of a grade separation, overpass or underpass,” said Jim Feeny. 

CN engineers have had preliminary discussions with the municipality about the plans for an underpass, but it’s too early to say how involved CN will be in the project, he added.

“We will have to ensure that our rail operation is in no way compromised, but it’s premature to say anything of substance about it.”