Plans to smooth out Centre Street in Hussar have hit a road bump recently.
The Village of Hussar was gearing up to pave the remainder of Centre Street and 2nd Avenue, portions of which are gravel. However, with winter looming, it was decided to postpone the project until the spring.
It was hoped construction would have commenced in September.
“It ended up being too close to October to start anything,” said Hussar CAO Jennifer Pratt. “We could pave, but it was the concrete [that stopped the project this year]. We want to do the curb and gutter as well.”
Difficulties securing grant funding also contributed to the delay. The Village had applied for a $90,000 grant from Alberta Transportation.
In addition, the Village had reshuffled priorities to find the necessary funding. The Village had delayed upgrades to their pump house to help pay for the street improvement project.
Heightened construction costs at this time of year also played a role in the decision.
“The price [on construction] increases after October and it’s not guaranteed, so we thought it would be better to wait and get things organized better,” said Pratt. “I really had wanted it done already.”
The plan is to completely pave Centre Street and 2nd Avenue. Curbs and gutters will also be added and the sidewalk on the south end of 2nd Avenue is slated to be redone. One of the goals in doing so was to improve the drainage along the roads.
Residents along Centre Street and 2nd Avenue will just have to wait a little bit longer to see brand new roads in front of their homes.
