Latest leg of Edmonton's Valley Line West LRT construction to bring more major road closures

More major road closures are coming along the Valley Line West LRT route, as the city and project builder Marigold Infrastructure Partners start partial and full closures to speed up its construction.

Traffic woes have plagued the construction area along Stony Plain Road, 156th Street and 87th Avenue for several years.

The new push will lead to the roadwork part of the project being completed this fall, instead of taking two more years, Ward Nakota Isga Coun. Andrew Knack told CBC News. 

"We've had so much construction fatigue, and I'm hearing it from folks all the time," Knack said, pointing to a motion he made last October to look into having more construction done in a shorter amount of time.

Constituents often tell Knack that they want to "rip the band aid off, get it done," he said, adding that Wellington Bridge, a major east-west corridor on 102nd  Avenue, is coming down at the end of 2025.

WATCH | Edmonton plans to speed up Valley Line West construction. But there's a catch: 

Edmonton plans to speed up Valley Line West construction. But there's a catch

19 hours ago

Duration 1:55

The City of Edmonton is looking to quicken the road construction portion of the Valley Line West project, as construction enters it's fourth year. As CBC's Travis McEwan reports, it will come with phased intersection closures until the end of November.

"We need to be done the road construction throughout the rest of the west end, so people can at least use Stony Plain Road as their main east-west corridor going in, because they won't have 102nd Avenue," Knack said. 

"If we're doing all this work at the same time — it's already a lot for people, I think that would be a disaster."

The $2.6-billion project, now in its fourth year of construction, is the largest infrastructure project the City of Edmonton has undertaken.

The accelerated roadwork plan involves a three-phased approach from April to November:

• Phase 1 (April to July)
  • 104th Avenue corridor (106th Street to 121st Street)
  • Stony Plain Road at 124th Street (full closure)
  • Stony Plain Road at 156th Street
  • 87th Avenue at Meadowlark Road

• Phase 2 (July to September)
  • 104th Avenue corridor (106th Street to 121st Street)
  • Stony Plain Road at 142nd Street
  • 95th Avenue at 156th Street

• Phase 3 (September to November)
  • 104th Avenue corridor (106th Street to 121st Street)
  • Stony Plain Road at 149th Street

Marigold Infrastructure would then shift the focus to work on building tracks and system infrastructure.

Tammy Hennig is one of many residents in the area whose patience is running thin with project construction. 

"Even for walking, it's a headache, because we never know where you can cross and where it's safe to go — anywhere from usually about 149th to farther down," Hennig said. 

A full report on progress of the Valley Line West LRT will be made available on Feb. 11, during an urban planning committee meeting at city hall.