Drivers between Calgary and Edmonton will have to make some adjustments when they stop at Gasoline Alley in Red Deer as the well-known highway and tourist stop undergoes a facelift.
On Thursday, the entrance to Gasoline Alley West that drivers have used for decades shut down permanently, meaning there is no quick access from southbound Highway 2 anymore.
Motorists heading south now take an earlier entrance that routes them through a roundabout to Leva Avenue, which runs parallel to the former service road. This alternate route will be used until a couple of interchanges north at Taylor Drive and Gaetz Avenue are finished. All the construction will ultimately expand Highway 2 from four lanes to six.
Ron Cook was driving from Edmonton to Drumheller on Friday and said he missed the new exit to Gasoline Alley, forcing him to overshoot the area and come back north to fill up his trailer.
READ MORE: Gasoline Alley service road to close permanently July 23: province
“It’s probably easy if you’re paying attention,” he said with a laugh.
“They have to do what they have to do to get things done.”
Joe Zsombor has a home east of the highway in Red Deer and said the construction has been slightly frustrating.
“Just traffic and the speed, bottlenecks really,” he said.
Alberta Transportation said the project is being done now to help with increased traffic volumes and growth in the Red Deer area, but construction is having an impact on businesses in Gasoline Alley West.
Eldy Canaynay, the general manager of Peter’s Drive-In, said he noticed Thursday was a bit quieter than normal, adding sales were down slightly, by about 10 per cent.
Canaynay said he hopes people adjust their driving habits, and soon.
“They just pass by,” he said. “Then if they pass by, they don’t want to come back anymore.”
However, he said he isn’t too worried about the construction or the road changes, saying it will be better for Red Deer overall.
“I’m confident people will still come.”
Glenn Simon, owner of Glenn’s Restaurant and Glenn’s Gift Shop, shares the same sentiment. He said his businesses have a loyal following and he is not worried the closure of the service road will change that.
“We’ve been here a long time. It might be rough on businesses up the road that have just started to establish,” he said.
Simon said the service road closure was a bit emotional.
“It’s kind of frightening after having this service road available for 50 years. The truckers, the trailers, having an ideal spot to park – to see them ripping it up today is nostalgic,” he said.
He is more concerned right now about the congestion on the local roads; the closure of the service road now means there is only one way in and out of the area.
“They put a long on-ramp to get in here but nothing to exit. We’re finding it’s backed up four blocks long just to get out of the area,” Simon said.
The cost of the project is estimated at $80 million and is expected to be completed later this year.