Wet weather has prompted the city to change its plan for the reconstruction of Mission Avenue and could delay the completion of Ray Gibbon Drive until next year.
The near-daily deluges of rain that the region has experienced over the last several weeks have slowed construction timetables at both sites.
"I think [Ray Gibbon] will get done if the rain can stop, but there is still a possibility that a lot of the landscaping and some of the stuff up on the berms will have to be done later," said the city's capital projects manager Sue Howard.
Construction of the third stage of Ray Gibbon Drive from Giroux Road to Villeneuve Road was scheduled to be completed this fall.
Howard is optimistic that this could still happen but it will require drier weather.
"If August and September turn out to be nice we could still get the road open," she said.
If the soggy summer continues the road may not open until the spring, Howard said.
"If the rain continues like it is, that would be a safe bet," she said.
Howard said the city hopes to know by mid-September whether the road can be completed this year.
The topography of the area also plays a role, because the road is lower than the ground around it.
"They have had to cut into the existing earth and the road is going to be lower than what was there before," she said.
Mission changes
One of the city's other major projects on Mission Avenue is also being adjusted to accommodate rain delays.
The original plan was to rebuild the avenue in two stages, allowing for the intersection at Perron Street to remain open throughout.
That plan changed this week in an effort to allow crews to catch up. The intersection is now closed, including a section along Mission Avenue to the entrance for the Northern Alberta Business Incubator.
That portion is now scheduled to open on Sept. 7. Completion of the remaining stretch of road this year will be subject to Mother Nature.
"Depending on how weather treats us the next little while, the remaining portion will either be done later this year or early next year," said Howard. "We are going to do whatever we can to lessen the impact on people for the following year."
