There will be complaints and frustration expressed motorists, but in the end, Cochrane will have long overdue improvements to the 5th Ave. CPR crossing by mid-August.

The town is improving the road surface of 5th Ave. from Hwy. 1A to the CPR crossing,  one of the main arteries into Cochrane's downtown. It involves concrete repairs, asphalt overlay, line painting and a new pedestrian and vehicle track crossing and that means they'll be times when full road closures will be required.

The project is already underway and lane closures for the project are set to begin on Monday for the concrete sidewalk removal, says Cochrane Roads Manager Wally Hume. Once the removals are done travel lanes will be back to normal until the asphalt is laid.

A full lane closure will be required when milling takes place but exactly when that will occur hasn't yet been scheduled. Hume says they intend to coordinate the milling work with the Riverview Dr. overlay.

"The only time there will be full road closures and detours is when we mill, pave and replace the CPR crossing," explains Hume. "At this point, we are still working with CPR representatives on scheduling and costs."

If the pieces fall together, they hope to replace and rubber crossing with concrete, he says.

The Roads department fully realizes there will be some traffic congestion during the upgrade that simply can't be avoided. Hume says they will make every effort to minimize the interruptions in traffic flow and says concerns are already being expressed via social media.

Those driving across the tracks at the crossing can't help but notice it's been a rocky ride in recent years and in the end the upgrade will be easier and safer for vehicles and pedestrians.

Other street improvements scheduled for this summer include upgrades to Quigley Dr. and West Edge Rd, adjacent to Bethany Care Centre, Riverview Dr. from Griffin Rd. to the Matt Kroll Memorial Park at the bottom of the hill and River Ave. adjacent to the Bow River.