EDMONTON – “Since April, we’ve completed approximately 595 lane kilometres, which is the equivalent to paving two lanes all the way from Edmonton to Calgary,” said Dorian Wandzura, general manager for Transportation Services.
As Edmonton’s 2015 season winds down, the city said Wednesday 90 per cent of its summer road construction projects are finished or on track to be done by the end of the year. Back in August, the city said that 92 per cent of the 176 projects had either been completed, or were set to finish on time and on budget.
In the spring, the city committed $451 million for road construction projects in 2015. Among them: the widening of Whitemud Drive between 75/66 Street and 17 Street, rehabilitation of Connors Road between 90 Avenue and 94 Street, and neighbourhood renewal projects in Rosslyn, Westmount, Avonmore, Bonnie Doon, Queen Alexandra and Westwood.
“The roads belong to all Edmontonians, and we’ve made it a priority to provide residents with infrastructure that will serve them for years to come,” said Councillor Tony Caterina.
However, to say there have been some construction issues in Edmonton might be the understatement of the year.
There was the buckled girders on the 102 Avenue Bridge, the delayed Walterdale bridge, and the never-ending “will it or won’t it open” Metro LRT Line saga and ensuing traffic snarls.
READ MORE: Significant progress on Edmonton’s Walterdale Bridge project
City officials explained, of the total $451 million, $150 million was spent on bridges and interchanges, but some areas, like the 102 Avenue Bridge over Groat Road, are still unfinished. The 102 Avenue Bridge will not be open until next fall.
The largest chunk of the funding went towards neighbourhood renewal, where $160 million was spent on 107 projects. These projects included extensive work in older neighbourhoods, like Cromdale, which saw work done on roads, sidewalks, streetlights, curbs, and gutters.
The city pointed to projects that were completed this summer, including work on Connors Road and the Sherwood Park Freeway.
Work on the 41 Avenue Interchange at the Queen Elizabeth Highway II is scheduled to be finished and open to traffic by the end of this year.
“We appreciate everyone’s patience as we build a great city,” said Wandzura.
“Now that construction season is wrapping up, traffic will flow more smoothly and roads will be better able to handle the large volume of vehicles using our transportation network. In other words, we went through short-term pain for long-term gain.”
The location of projects is offered online on the city’s website. A map of current construction-related traffic disruptions can also be found online.
WATCH: The 102 Avenue Bridge over Groat Road likely won’t open until Fall 2016. As Kendra Slugoski reports, the delay means big fines for the contractor, but it’s also a huge cost to those who depend on the bridge traffic.
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