Yellowknife (July 28/04) - Road reconstruction on 49th Street may take, "a month or longer," says Greg Kehoe, director of public works for the City of Yellowknife.

The section of 49th between the court house and the post office will be completely re-paved. The side walks will be widened and ornamental lamps, similar to those on Franklin Avenue, will be installed, says Kehoe.

The road reconstruction contract is worth $2.7 million and has been awarded to Volker Stevin Contracting Ltd.

The reconstruction is part of the city's effort to "rebuild a street a year" in the downtown area. The decision to re-do the section of 49th Street this summer was based on traffic, road conditions and community benefit, says Kehoe.

Next summer the city may rebuild the section of 49th on the opposite side of Franklin, says Dennis Kefalas, manager of public works and engineering.

The city is taking advantage of the situation to replace a fire hydrant on the street. The majority of the work takes place under the street.

"(A fire hydrant) is like an iceberg, what you see up top is very small in comparison to what's below," Kehoe said.

Underground pipes and valves must be insulated against the cold says Kefalas. Some hardware will be contained in an underground vault to protect it from the elements.

A fire hydrant is worth, "anywhere from $35,000 to $65,000," says Kefalas.

Once the upgrade is complete the hydrant could last up to 40 years, Kefalas says.