EDMONTON – As plans to expand the LRT to Mill Woods continue, concerns have arisen over what it will mean for traffic congestion at one of south Edmonton’s major intersections.
Once built, the Valley Line will run on an above-ground guideway on 83 St. for a small section of track. It will run through the Argyll Road intersection, taking 83 St. down to two lanes of traffic from four.
“I drive through there every day. It’ll be a nightmare if it goes down to two lanes,” Tyler Hardeman wrote on Twitter.
“Typical. Solve one problem (they think) but create a brand new one. Very tiresome,” added Sue, via Twitter.
Ward 11 City Councillor Mike Nickel says he’s heard from several concerned residents. He acknowledges there’s going to be congestion and is requesting more information on how to best mitigate the problem.
“When you’re going to be running LRT just about anywhere throughout the city there’s going to be some sort of traffic displacement,” he said. “There are some choke points in here that we’re going to have to deal with.”
READ MORE: City releases animation of southeast LRT route
When the LRT was first extended into south Edmonton there were traffic issues reported – particularly along 111 St. Some adjustments were made, but traffic congestion can still be an issue.
“We knew that when you decrease the capacity from two lanes in each direction to one there will be some back audit,” said Ward 12 Councillor Amarjeet Sohi.
Sohi says widening 75 St. will help relieve some of the pressure, as will having motorists use other routes such as 99 St. and 50 St.
“At the end of the day, we are building the LRT to provide people with a choice not to drive. So I hope more people will use the LRT,” he explained. “We are building the LRT to deal with the future congestion, as well. So if we don’t have the LRT then you have to build another five or six lanes of freeway or roadway systems coming to downtown.”
This particular LRT line is not slated to open until late 2020, according to current plans.
With files from Vinesh Pratap, Global News.
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