Short-term pain for long-term gain: Accelerated road work plan, full intersection closures starting this month

Drivers are being asked to deal with short-term pain so Valley Line LRT construction can finish sooner. CTV News Edmonton's Nicole Weisberg explains.

The City of Edmonton has released details of a new plan to cut LRT construction time in half.

The three-phase accelerated construction timeline for Valley Line West LRT expansion work, approved by the city in February, will begin later this month and last until November.

It includes cutting traffic on 104 Avenue down to one lane in each direction between 105 Street and 121 Street from mid-April until the end of the construction season.

The timeline also includes full closures of intersections along the construction route to expedite work in those areas.

Po Sun, acting director of the Valley Line West project, said those closures will cause significant disruptions but should allow for most of the road work in key areas to be finished this year.

“Construction is disruptive, and we want to mitigate that with this work plan as best we can,” Sun said.

“We’re hoping that the net impact will be reduced significantly, with the goal that we can open up lanes again by the end of the year and release some of those pressures that you’ve been having on commuters, residents and local businesses,” she continued.

In addition to the 104 Avenue closures, the first phase includes one full and two partial intersection closures:

• Stony Plain Road and 124 Street will be closed to all traffic for about eight weeks starting the week of April 21.
• Stony Plain Road and 156 Street will be partially closed to traffic for about 12 weeks starting the week of April 21. Work will be done in two six-week stages, with different traffic restrictions for each one.
• Meadowlark Road and 87 Avenue will be partially closed for about 10 weeks starting in early May. One eastbound and one westbound lane will remain open on 87 Avenue.

Jonathan Cox, construction manager with Marigold Infrastructure Partners, said the plan will allow crews to work longer shifts.

While it will cause more short-term pain, he believes it’s worth the long-term gain.

“Overall, the work will be completed faster in these areas,” Cox said. “We think that that’s an advantage to everyone, including the businesses and the stakeholders.

“It’s certainly an advantage to us, because we want to just get in work efficiently and be finished.”

Work on the Valley Line expansion began in 2022. While some elements have been finished on time, road work has failed to meet deadlines.

Cox and Sun both said the new plan won’t impact the target finish date of 2028. Instead, it will help Marigold to make up for previous delays to finish on time.

Work is currently about 35 per cent complete, Cox said. The current trade war with the U.S. poses challenges, he added, but the company is “working through it.”

“We will not allow that to impact the construction timeline,” Cox said.

Should the Edmonton Oilers clinch a playoff spot, the city recommends taking public transit to Rogers Place to avoid the 104 Avenue congestion.

The second and third phases are expected to begin in July and September, to avoid overlapping impacts on traffic.

Edmontonians can check on construction updates or sign up for public notices on the Marigold website.

Edmonton Transit Service will be providing service adjustment details on the city’s website.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Nicole Weisberg