Relief is on the way for those who commute along Whoop Up Drive in Lethbridge, as expansion construction is set to get underway on Monday.
This is welcome news for commuters like Miranda Hawthorne, who manages the Liquor Depot on Whoop Up Drive West. She finishes work at rush hour and travels on Whoop Up to get home, making for a long commute.
“It takes me about 15 when there’s traffic at 5:00…It takes me about four at 6:00 in the morning when there’s no one,” Hawthorne said.
Whoop Up Dr. will be expanded from two lanes to four from McMaster Boulevard West/Jerry Potts Boulevard West to 30 Street West.
The following week, construction will begin on Métis Trail from Whoop Up Drive to Walsh Drive.
The two projects are priced at about $10 million apiece.
“If you’ve been to the west side lately, in the last six months with all the growth everybody really realizes that there’s definitely a need for the additional lanes,” road infrastructure manager Richard Brummund said.
Whoop Up is expected to have its new look by November 2018.
The brand new Metis Tail is expected to open to traffic by September of next year.
Brummund says it will be worth the wait.
“During construction, all we ask is to be patient and in a year-and-a-half from now we’ll have improved roads and everything will be complete and it will sure help the west side out.”
When the dust settles, not only will Hawthorne get home quicker, but she’s anticipating an increase in sales.
“Once it’s done and traffic is flowing it should be good and people will be able to get in here and out easy and it should increase the flow,” Hawthorne said.
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