Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson met with business owners Monday who could be impacted by a proposed makeover of one of the city’s busiest thoroughfares.
Iveson has previously been vocal about appealing to the Notley and Trudeau governments for financial help that would allow the city to reimagine the east-west roadway ahead of a massive anticipated increase in traffic on Yellowhead Trail.
According to the city, up to 80,000 vehicles make their way down Yellowhead Trail every day and over the next 30 years, the number of drivers on the roadway is expected to double.
In order to accommodate the anticipated surge in traffic, Iveson would like to see a complete overhaul of the north side route, a plan that would see $1 billion spent on building new overpasses in order to convert it to a freeway.
Although road design, land acquisition and road upgrades are expected to take 10 years or so to complete, the city has said most businesses have been supportive of the idea as they believe they will eventually benefit from the construction.
“I think it’s a good idea for a growing city,” Brian Christou, owner of Chris’ Auto near 125 Avenue and 125 Street, said. “I think it needs to be done, I just want to know what’s going to happen to me.”
The city says it is hoping to receive about $242 million each from the province and from Ottawa.
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“We understand that the federal government is in a good position to look favourably upon this project but is awaiting a signal from the province that this is a provincial priority that they are prepared to invest in,” Iveson added. “I think Edmontonians need and deserve this investment.”
On Monday, Alberta’s Ministry of Transportation issued a statement suggesting it was still considering whether to approve provincial funding for the project.
“We are looking closely at this proposal and continue to talk to the City of Edmonton and the federal government about the project in order to make the best decision for Albertans.”
Iveson suggested if the province doesn’t commit to the project, federal funding could also be jeopardized.
“If we’re not able to secure provincial and federal support in a timely fashion, then whatever federal support that might come, otherwise might end up going to some other part of Canada.”
A recent report from the city’s Traffic Safety Office found that over the past decade, 1,000 vehicle collisions have occurred annually on the Yellowhead, resulting in traffic delays and “significant social and business-related costs.” Another report, put together by Shirocca Consulting, found the upgrade project would “enhance Edmonton as a goods and logistic supply centre.”
“We think about it as just the Yellowhead, which is a parking lot a lot of the time,” Iveson said after the meeting. “But there’s an opportunity to improve conditions for trade in and out of the east-west corridor, as well as north.”
The city hopes to turn a 25-kilometre stretch of the Yellowhead into a “free-flowing, non-signalized freeway.” Among the goals of the project would be to see a number of signalized and non-signalized intersections disappear, the road widened in several areas, and the modification or construction of several interchanges.
-with files from Tom Vernon
Watch below: Mayor Don Iveson is renewing his push to get federal and provincial funding for a makeover of one of Edmonton’s busiest thoroughfares. On Monday, Iveson met with business owners who operate near the Yellowhead Trail, the road he is hoping to upgrade to accommodate more traffic. Julia Wong reports.
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