With the summer drawing to a close, the season for roadwork is wrapping up in Swift Current. 

While the sun is out and the weather is ripe for it, road crews in Swift Current spend the summer months tackling everything from pothole repairs to rebuilding entire streets. 

This summer was no different, with nine key projects having been knocked out of the way, along with the paving that was completed.  

In charge of everything that was accomplished was the General Manager of Infrastructure and Operations for the City of Swift Current, Mitch Minken. For him, the summer was an example of an excellent year, as they had a few projects completed under budget, with everything set to finish in full shortly. 

"It's going to be a few more weeks to completion," confirmed Minken. "We're just kind of buttoning it up temporarily here for a couple of weeks, waiting for pavers to return."

The first item on the summer list of projects for the City of Swift Current was the 2023 Paving and Concrete Program. It was a series of smaller pavings, with the seven of them being rolled up into the same initiative. 

-19 Avenue Northeast was paved from Hillcrest Drive to MacDonald Drive. 
-Fifth Avenue Southeast was both paved from South Railway Street East to Friesen Street East and had a full sidewalk replacement and paving. 
-Jubilee Road saw some paving.
-Ashley Drive was paved from Sidney Street East to 13 Avenue Northeast. 
-North Hill Drive was given some work, paved from South Service Road East to Jubilee Road. 
-Hayes Drive got fresh paving from Fifth Avenue Southwest to Elliot Place. 
-Marston Street on the edge of town was paved from Second Avenue Southeast to Fifth Avenue Southwest. 

These main projects saw the City getting a bit of a break, as they managed to keep them from spilling over budget. 

"Those budget estimates are our best guesses when we're putting together these projects," said Minken. "Usually a year or more in advance, so we are really happy that we managed to deliver them that way, especially in these times with inflation the way it is." 

One of the bigger project tackles was 10 Avenue Northeast, where crews replaced sanitary and sewer mains, and rebuilt the sidewalk and road while they were at it. 

"Those 10th Avenue Northeast major infrastructure replacements, water lines and wastewater lines and new sidewalks and streets, was completed on time to match up with the kids returning to school at Irwin," said Minken. "It was also completed under budget, so, really, really happy about how that one turned out." 

Overall, the summer paving was a smooth operation. While not every knick and crack can be repaired each year, this year saw the biggest issues tackled and completed. 

Folks can submit areas they think need work on the City's website. They will be noted down, evaluated, and added to consideration. 

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