City Centre Area Redevelopment Plan

Starting Monday, May 27, storm sewer construction will be taking place on Calahoo Road, south of Weston Drive / Mohr Avenue, and is expected to continue until Friday, May 31.

While traffic will be able to travel north and south, periodic lane closures will result in traffic redirection. At certain times during construction, the southbound lanes will be closed, and traffic will be redirected to be split in the northbound lanes. At other times during construction, the northbound lanes will be closed, and traffic will be redirected to be split in the southbound lanes.

Pedestrians on the east side of Calahoo Road will be redirected to the asphalt trail on the west side of Calahoo Road.

Remember to slow down, watch for workers and pedestrians, and follow road signage.

Paving work along Main Street and McLeod Avenue in the City Centre area will cause some temporary lane closures and parking limitations on Friday, May 24. Repairs are anticipated to be completed by the end of day.

Drivers can expect temporary lane closures and detours in both east and westbound lanes on McLeod Avenue between King Street and Queen Street. Temporary lane closures and parking limitations are also expected on Main Street between First Avenue and Church Avenue. Local alleyways may be affected.

Pedestrians will be redirected around the work area and should be able to access local businesses. Please watch for signs in the area and follow directions.

You can stay informed by subscribing for project updates.

Thank you for your patience this construction season as work continues to revitalize our City Centre.

Starting Thursday, May 9, repair work on Main Street and McLeod Avenue will begin and will be ongoing for several weeks. Upgrades will include concrete removal and repairs.

No disruptions to local traffic are expected at this time; pedestrians will be redirected around the work area and will be able to access local businesses.

Asphalt repairs, landscaping and other repair work will follow this scheduled work and will be ongoing into late spring.

Please watch for signs in the area and follow directions.

You can also stay informed by subscribing for project updates.

Thank you for your patience this construction season as work continues to revitalize our City Centre.

Starting April 27, City Centre redevelopment work will continue with crews starting work in the Main Street and McLeod Avenue area. Crews will be examining underground utilities using cameras to assess utility lines and workers will periodically move from one location to the next throughout the day. Work is anticipated to begin around 9 a.m. and traffic will be redirected through adjacent alleyways until early afternoon; please pay attention to signage and look for workers in the area.

Other improvement work that will be occurring throughout this construction season includes:

Main Street and McLeod Avenue

Construction on Main Street and McLeod Avenue will include concrete and asphalt repairs, and landscaping improvements such as the addition of an irrigation system and new shrubs.

Calahoo Road from Mohr Avenue to Highway 16A

Construction on Calahoo Road from Mohr Avenue to Highway 16A will include road upgrades, concrete replacement, and the addition greenery to the area.

Mohr Avenue from Calahoo Road to Queen Street

Construction planned on Mohr Avenue will include waterline replacements from Calahoo Road to Queen Street, and utility repairs from Calahoo Road to Main Street. Infrastructure upgrades in this area will support preparation for the Meridian Housing’s seniors living facility. Road closures should be expected.

During this improvement work, businesses and local patrons may experience mild disruptions to traffic in the City Centre area including lane and parking closures, and fenced off areas to protect ongoing construction work. More information around timing and traffic impacts will be shared in advance closer to when these pieces of work are scheduled to begin.

You can also stay informed by subscribing for project updates.

Thank you for your patience this construction season as work continues to revitalize our City Centre.

Starting this spring, ongoing construction work will be active within the City Centre area focusing on completing all improvement work and adding greenery to the streetscape.

Residents may experience mild disruptions to traffic, such as lane or parking closures to accommodate the planting crews, and fenced areas may be placed for asphalt and concrete repairs. Please watch for signs in the area and follow directions.

There will also be surface work on Calahoo Road from Mohr Avenue to Highway 16A, as well as a small portion on First Avenue South. Underground work will be completed on Mohr Avenue adding capacity to the water and sanitary lines in preparation for Meridian Housing’s seniors living facility. More details will be provided when available.

Now that work on the streetscape revitalization project in Spruce Grove’s City Centre is substantially complete, we’ve received some questions about the centre median along McLeod Avenue – specifically the appearance of the steel.

Some concerns have been raised that the appearance of the median wall looks rusty. This is because weathering steel (sometimes referred to as Corten steel) was selected for use for both the median wall and planter bed edges.

Why did we choose this option? Quite a few reasons actually!

• It is highly durable, extremely low maintenance. Over time, weathering steel develops a natural, protective patina, so it does not need to be touched-up or re-painted if it is nicked or scratched, which helps keep maintenance costs low. It is also resistant to de-icing salt that would cause rusting to painted steel.
• It provides colour to an environment containing a lot of grey concrete and asphalt. The warm toned, orange/brown patina provides a bit of colour to the street, particularly during the winter when the leaves have fallen, and the planting is dormant. The earth tone is complimentary to the green foliage during the growing seasons. It also ties in with Columbus Park, as this is the same steel that was used for the flower beds in the park.
• Steel is a relatively thin material, which enabled the greatest width of planting to be provided in the median. This ensures the median can include more soil (to help sustain healthy trees) and planting, resulting in a greater visual impact.

We appreciate the community’s interest in this project and hope this helps to answer any questions you may have about this part of the design!

Rendering showing the look of the weathered steel on the median.

Example of what weathered steel looks like up close.

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The first stage of the City Centre Area Redevelopment Plan project is now substantially complete, marking a significant milestone in the revitalization of the City’s urban core.

This stage was a streetscape revitalization project that included both the below and above ground rehabilitation of McLeod Avenue from Queen Street to King Street and Main Street from Church Road to First Avenue.

Members of Spruce Grove City Council and the City Centre Business Association officially marked the substantial completion of the streetscape revitalization project with a ceremonial ribbon cutting on October 23.

“We are thrilled this stage of the City Centre Area Redevelopment Plan is essentially complete,” said Mayor Jeff Acker. “This work is a key part of the overall plan to revitalize our City Centre and create a welcoming and dynamic space for businesses, residents and visitors.”

The streetscape revitalization project is one element of the larger City Centre Area Redevelopment Plan that is focused on making the City Centre a place where people of all ages come to shop, dine, work, live, socialize, interact, and participate in a variety of community, arts, and cultural experiences.

Previous work included the redevelopment of Columbus Park, and future work will focus on both underground and surface work along First Avenue and King Street.

With the City Centre being one of the oldest areas in Spruce Grove, the rehabilitation of the underground infrastructure was necessary to service businesses and residents and create the opportunity for new development. This included the installation of new stormwater, sanitary, and water lines and improved drainage to support current and future development.

On the surface, upgrades to the streetscape include new concrete benches, updated sidewalks, and a raised crosswalk at the McLeod Avenue and Main Street intersection to improve pedestrian visibility. Additionally, there will be over 100 trees and more than 300 shrubs planted throughout the area, along with new streetlights and grey paving stones lining the streets.

A grand opening event will be planned for the spring of 2024 where the public will be invited to attend and celebrate the new space.

While the streetscape revitalization project is significantly complete, there will be times in the spring when workers need to access the area to complete some final touches, such as landscaping, and during these times sections of the sidewalks or roads may be temporarily closed.

“I’d also like to thank the City Centre business community for their support, patience, and resilience throughout this revitalization work,” said Mayor Acker. “This is an important milestone in a partnership between the local business community and Council to create a City Centre area that is vibrant and welcoming destination and a place where businesses can thrive. I would encourage our residents to continue supporting local and we look forward to celebrating with everyone next year!”

Please visit CityCentreOpenForYou.ca for a business directory and interactive map to find businesses and parking in the area.

All streets in the City Centre area are now open to traffic, following this year’s construction work on the streetscape revitalization project.

There may be temporary intermittent closures to complete some finishing touches in the area, and motorists are asked to watch for flaggers. Otherwise, construction in the City Centre is significantly complete with some landscaping work to finalize in the spring.

This year’s work on the streetscape revitalization project focused on surface work and landscaping along Main Street and McLeod Avenue. Last year the focus was on rehabilitating many of the critical services located beneath the city streets, such as sanitary sewer lines, water main lines, and stormwater utility lines, as well as private utilities.

Throughout September, a significant amount of paving was completed, including back alleys, and most of the streetlights were installed and energized. The last of the concrete benches were also poured, the median wall was installed along McLeod Avenue, and some of the trees were planted.

Work being finished in October includes brick inlay, adding toppers to the concrete benches, tree planting, and completing the concrete, asphalt and sod/soil tie-ins.

Thank you to motorists, pedestrians and businesses in the area for your patience throughout this construction season. The community is encouraged to continue shopping local and can visit CityCentreOpenForYou.ca for a business directory and interactive map to find businesses and parking in the area.

Intersection of McLeod Avenue and Main Street with raised crosswalks.

As part of the streetscape revitalization project in the City Centre area, crews will be paving the back alleys adjacent to McLeod Avenue starting on September 25. This work is expected to be completed on October 4, weather permitting.

During this time, there will be intermittent alley closures with the possibility of a full closure in select areas to facilitate the required scope of work. McLeod Avenue westbound is open and will remain open during this time. McLeod Avenue eastbound will be opening to both traffic and parking between Main Street and King Street to assist with access to buildings and businesses.

Throughout the month of August, crews were busy installing the grey paving stones along areas on McLeod Avenue and pouring the remaining concrete benches in the City Centre area as part of the streetscape revitalization work.

Most of the planter boxes and tree grates have been installed and are awaiting landscaping to finish the look. Electrical has been installed and streetlights will be coming in the next few weeks.

Looking ahead

Moving into September, the work is expected to be substantially completed, which means there will only be small details left like landscape plantings and finishing work. Concrete work will be finished including sidewalks, curbs, and crosswalks and back lanes will be paved. The median wall on McLeod Avenue will have the steel and brick installed.

Please stay tuned, as additional information will be shared with the community as construction wraps up for the season and roads re-open in the area. Thank you for your patience as construction continues.

As a reminder, businesses in the City Centre area remain open during the construction and the community is encouraged to continue supporting them during this redevelopment work. Visit CityCentreOpenForYou.ca for a business directory and interactive map to find businesses and parking in the area. Please watch for and follow all construction signage and direction of construction personnel.