Construction crews will be back at work this month as the construction on 4th Street for the Downtown Revitalization Project will continue with sidewalks and streets needing to be finished up. That work includes a final surface on the roadway, finished sidewalks on the 1100 and 1200 blocks, and new trees along the road.
Mayor Tony Sernick reminds people to be cautious of construction on the road this summer.
"4th Street, it got buttoned up for the winter there. It was open in the winter, a little bit. But, again, this summer it's going to become a construction zone again. So, first and foremost, people just need to keep in mind that it is a construction zone for the next foreseeable future."
Sernick says that the plan is to get all the work done this year, which went on a bit longer than scheduled last year, as he says there was "a rush to get things going".
This year, their schedule begins April 22nd, with the city laying out a few different stages of work.
So far, Sernick is pretty confident they'll be able to execute on that this year.
"The actual project was planned before, but the actual utilization of everybody getting going and getting everything in Estevan was a little quick, just the way the project came about with the federal grant there. But this year, contractors have had the winter to come up with a game plan. So far, so good. Everybody's pretty confident that we can get this buttoned up this year and get that downtown energized."
The city will take that work in phases, with the work starting on the 1100 block before two separate phases will see the north and south portions of the 1200 block worked on.
Sernick says that with the access on 4th Street likely to change over the next months, the city will make sure to stay transparent to provide early warning.
"We're going to obviously try to keep in contact ... keep everybody informed. There's going to be some disruptions here and there, but at least the underground is done, if you will. So it's really just everything you see above surface, so the cosmetic side of things."
According to Sernick, there are always surprises when it comes to construction, so the city will be keeping a close eye on those and finding the best way to implement their plan.
The city's timeline states that construction should finish on 4th Street by mid-October 2025.