Damaged road signs along Highway 16 and the Icefields Parkway are standing tall once again after Parks Canada fixed them last week.
“The current signs that are there now have been temporarily fixed,” said Rogier Gruys, a visitor experience and product development specialist for Parks Canada.
“They fall down quite regularly because they’re old, so what’s important now is that the current signs are back on their posts again,” he said, explaining the temporary fix should keep them upright for a few more years.
On July 3, the Fitzhugh counted at least five dilapidated signs within 15 kms of the Jasper townsite and received reports of several more along Highway 16.
A day later, during a press conference, the government announced $4.8 million would be spent on new roads signs in Jasper National Park as part of $211.6 million in new infrastructure spending over the next five years.
The new signs will be green and white and have metal posts with concrete footings, explained Gruys.
“What makes it a bit more tricky than the old signs is that every post has to be individually engineered,” he said.
The aim is to install 15 of the new signs this year before the ground freezes in October, starting at the east gate on Highway 16 before moving west along the highway, explained Gruys.
“Next year, if all goes according to plan, we hope to complete Highway 16,” he said.
In addition to installing sturdier signs, Parks has also reviewed visitor information on some of the signs and has made it easier for visitors to find the town of Jasper and other amenities.
“It’s much more than replacing signs,” said Gruys, “We have really thought about what today’s visitor wants and needs when they are driving the highway and encourage them to stop and make it easier for them to find all of our facilities.”
Many of the new signs have already been installed along the TransCanada Highway in Banff National Park and will eventually become uniform across all the mountain parks.
“We have a very strict sign manual for Parks Canada, so everything is being produced to that standard,” said Gruys.
Parks is also working in conjunction with the Municipality of Jasper, which is developing a new wayfinding program for the townsite, which is expected to be ready in the fall.
“The idea is that once people get to town, there will be a relatively seamless transition so we’re working closely in making sure colours and specifications are all tied together,” said Gruys.
The signs are manufactured by an outside company with pieces coming from different parts of the country, explained Gruys. Another company will also be engineering and installing the posts.
Paul Clarke [email protected]
