The Caribou Street Reconstruction will improve the pedestrian experience by connecting Bear Street and Banff Ave through an enhanced hospitality focused environment within the Town of Banff’s tourism driven downtown core.

The main drivers of Caribou Street are the revitalization of the Downtown Core through pedestrian centric streetscape enhancements, the realignment of the Lynx/Caribou intersection and deep utility replacement. The Town of Banff project goals, related to urban realm improvements on Caribou Street include: (1) Emphasizing a Pedestrian Centric Accessible Environment, (2) Fostering Sense of Place, (3) Integrating Environmental Sustainability, (4) Considering Seasonal Flexibility, and (5) Economic Growth. A car-free or reduced-vehicle downtown has been trialed on Caribou Street in various forms since 2018. The Caribou Reconstruction Project will transition seasonal installations to permanent infrastructure that will continue to support the pedestrian focused, food and beverage corridor and lively atmosphere.

The East extent of Caribou Street presents an opportunity to provide a connected pedestrian experience from Banff Ave through Caribou Street to Bear Street. Design elements seen as part of Banff Refreshing on Banff Avenue and the recently constructed Bear Street Shared Street will be incorporated. The west extent of Caribou Street requires a road realignment to create a safer, more intuitive intersection for people walking, biking and driving, while providing a more direct connection between the downtown and the Bow River pathway. The west extent also provides the opportunity to present a gradual introduction to the changing streetscape as people transition from the Highway, to a local collector road, to a pedestrian centric downtown. .

The reconstruction will include a full reconfiguration of the street level layout, replacement of shallow and deep utilities, surface pavement, sidewalks, electrical and lighting strategy, planting zones, street furniture, surface works and modernizing of stormwater management including utilizing low impact development (LID) techniques such as the soil cell integrated stormwater network developed by our design team on the Bear Street Reconstruction Project.

Location: Banff, Alberta, Canada

Status: Detail Design / Construction projected for 2025

Partners: The Town of Banff / WSP Civil Engineering