Edmonton – The $1.8 billion northeast Anthony Henday project is taking shape.
Construction is underway on twin bridges over the North Saskatchewan River which is a crucial link of the Anthony Henday.
“When you cross a river of this magnitude and you have to deal with not only the construction concerns but the environmental regulations, which are equally important, then it adds up to a lot more complication, a lot more engineering, a lot more planning time, but we’re doing it and we feel very good about the work that’s being done here,” says Alberta Transportation Minister Ric McIver.
The project was delayed in late June when rain caused the river to crest, breaching the Cofferdam, filling the job site. But the province says the project is now back on schedule.
“I talked to some of the leaders on the project this morning and they tell me they’ve made up most of the time that they lost during the spring. They feel confident that they will be on schedule to finish at the end of 2016,” says McIver.
“We’ve had crews working seven-days-a-week, double shift, to try to catch up and the work done so we can comply with the weather window,” explains Project Manager, Kent Peyton. “There’s a work in the water permit, environmental permit, with the regulatory agency that has us normal ability to work in the river is between August 1 and September 15.”
The company says its trying to get an extension. The proposed extension is being reviewed.
The twin bridges will stretch almost one-third of a kilometer over the North Saskatchewan River. The bridges will feature three lanes of northbound traffic and four lanes of southbound traffic. The province says the design includes the capability for future widening of up to two additional lanes in each direction if warranted. The southbound bridge will include a pedestrian and bicycle bridge suspended below the structure, to connect to surrounding existing and future trail networks.
The project has caused traffic delays in the area. The province says it’s heard the complaints from motorists.
“There’s no getting around the delays. If you’re going to build a project of this size, you can’t do it without making a mess. We made the mess, we’re trying to make order of the mess, and the folks doing the work are doing a great job,” says McIver.
McIver says the headache will be worth it once the project is finished. The completed ring road will not only make travel easier but safer, according to the Transportation Minister.
“There will be less level of turn movements, so more separated grade turn movements; that generally leads to safer outcomes.”
The northeast project is being financed under Alberta’s P3 model for highways. The province claims the P3 model will have the northeast project complete three years earlier than through conventional delivery and will save taxpayers $370 million.
“One of the benefits of the P3 project is the financial risk is on the back of the people building it. So it’s a fixed price contract, if you will, on behalf of the taxpayers, so taxpayers are protected from price increases,” says McIver.
The province says this is the most expensive construction project in Alberta’s history.
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