Efforts to revitalize downtown Lethbridge now include another major construction project.
The first phase will see a water main renewal, new bike lanes and pavement rehabilitation.
City of Lethbridge’s senior transportation project administrator Bryce Dudley shared that the enhancements will occur over the course of multiple weeks.
“We’re going to be improving issues with the gutter drainage and broken gutters, brand new asphalt surface over the whole project boundary and we’re going to be improving many of the existing accessibility ramps along the way,” said Dudley.
Along with the improvements, the city will erect its first-ever protected cycling lanes.
The bike lanes will go up along Fourth Avenue South and run west to Stafford Drive South and Seventh Street South between Third and Seventh Avenue.
Those roads with new biking paths will be reduced from four to two lanes, with some parking stalls also set to be lost.
That news came as a bit of a shock to some nearby business owners who say there was no recourse on the decision to add the bike lanes or heads-up about parking disruptions during a busy shopping season.
John Pyska of Big John’s Books on Seventh Street shared that he received little notice about the project.
“They sent me an email two weeks before they were going to do it and no one at City Hall said anything,” explained Pyska. “I talked to most of the business here, not one person wanted this.”
He went on to say that this will be devastating for his business and claimed that they might not make it through the winter because of this construction.
David Clark, owner of Doug’s Sports, shared the same sentiments saying he only found out about the project through a friend bidding on the job.
“We had no recourse on it really,” he said. “We understand the water main has to be replaced, it’s almost 100 years old.”
Clark went on, “I’m not for the bike path either. Just because it takes out two lanes of traffic on this street and to take all this prime parking space and traffic space isn’t fair to us, but they said you can’t do anything about it.”
The city says the project has been in the works since 2020, with officials from both the city and the Downtown BRZ having meetings with business owners.
In an email to Global News, the City of Lethbridge shared that final notices were mailed in July about the timing of the project.
Sarah Aimes with the Downtown BRZ calls the construction proactive and necessary but understands the frustrations felt by businesses.
“We’ll be really glad when it’s over, and that’s completely understandable right. There’s a little bit of concern about disruption to businesses.”
City officials shared that during construction, sidewalks will remain open to promote foot traffic of these businesses and alternative parking is set to be looked at to help those that are impacted by road closures.
When asked Wednesday, the city says it is still waiting for a grant to be finalized before confirming the total estimated cost for the work.
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