Edmonton council decides to stay with LRT connector through Chinatown

The much debated route for the downtown LRT connector that would link the Mill Woods section with the west end has been finalized.

Council decided to go with the recommendation of their administration and put the connector down 102 Avenue.

Several community groups had raised issue with that route saying it would divide the community.

The main issue centred on the eastern portion of the connector in Chinatown. There are a couple of seniors’ residences and many cultural activities happen there. Residents were concerned of the impact an LRT would have.

Residents suggested moving the line north to 103 Avenue or a putting the downtown station underground.

“We never opposed the LRT,” says one of the opponents of the 102 avenue plan, Candas Jane Dorsey of the Boyle Community League, “We always supported it through our community. We just wanted to find the best possible route for everyone. We’re very disappointed that was not effective after all that work.”

Council in the end sided with administration knowing that putting in LRT into older communities is going to have an impact regardless of how they do it.

“You can’t retrofit an LRT through a city without there being an impact and there being change,” says Councillor Ben Henderson, “I think, for the most part, the citizens understand that and have been really good about that. I think we have a lot of work to do as we do the preliminary design to make sure the impacts are mitigated as much as possible.”

Planners will now be able to move forward with more detailed design work.

The next question council will have to deal with is how to fund the route to the southeast. Mayor Stephen Mandel says some ideas could come forward later this year.

With files from Vinesh Pratap