Yellowknife’s Franklin Avenue will undergo a quick fix this summer from 41 to 43 Street as more extensive reconstruction has been delayed.
City staff received permission from council on Monday to reallocate some funding so work on the road surface can go ahead this summer.
The “Franklin Hill” is an undulating stretch of road particularly affected by permafrost heave.
Staff at City Hall say the road requires extensive reconstruction and a major project had been scheduled for 2026.
Now, that work will be pushed back to 2028-29 as it ties in with replacement of a lift station on the corner of Franklin Avenue and School Draw Avenue. The lift station project has been delayed by a year at the contractor’s request, which the city says will avoid the need for winter excavation work and move that work to the city’s short summer, when it’s less risky.
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In the meantime, Franklin Hill will undergo a process known as surface patching as staff say the problem can’t be left entirely untreated for a few more years.
“The intent of this project is to remove the areas of settlement and heaving and create a smoother road surface in this specific area, as a temporary repair, until a larger capital project can be completed,” a memorandum for councillors stated.
Chris Greencorn, the city’s director of public works, said the road had experienced a “significant amount” of heaving and had not been fully reconstructed since 2004.
“We have a crazy busy workload and I really appreciate the response here to an obvious problem,” said councillor Rob Warburton as council approved the approach on Monday evening.
Warburton said multiple people had approached him to express gratitude that the road would receive some interim work before a bigger rebuild.
People are “quite happy that we’re doing that road so thank you for reading the room,” he said.
