New LRT construction plan offering faster finish for ‘short-term pain’

A new proposal could see construction on the West Line Valley Line finished far ahead of the original schedule. Jeremy Thompson explains how.

The City of Edmonton is considering fast-tracking the remaining Valley Line West LRT expansion.

Contractor Marigold Infrastructure has pitched a plan to get all the road work required done by the end of this year using full closures in three phases.

With crews able to work 20 hours each day, Marigold reports that work on 104 Avenue would get traffic moving again a full construction season sooner while a full closure of 124 Street at Stony Plain Road in the spring could save up to 10 months of road work.

Then, partial closures of 142 Street in the summer and 149 Street in the fall would cut down construction timelines from six to two months.

“There is some short term pain,” Coun. Andrew Knack told CTV News Edmonton on Thursday. “You’ve got to close down certain intersections entirely so that they can be done in seven to nine weeks.”

Knack supports the accelerated timeline. He said his biggest concern with the current plan is the impending replacement of the Wellington Bridge on 102 Avenue.

With that corridor closed until at least the end of 2026 (if things remain on schedule) and construction also impacting the other west-central artery, Knack said it would be a “disaster scenario.”

“That would have massive headaches for commuters, for businesses and for everyone,” he said. “I think we have no choice but to go down this path, because the last thing I want to see is that bridge close and the rest of this work not being done.”

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The Valley Line West LRT expansion broke ground in 2022. While major elements have been finished on time, lagging road construction has caused ongoing construction woes for Stony Plain Road area business and travellers.

Some residents along the route are wary of the fast-tracked approach, but Knack said the majority he’s been in contact with support the plan to “rip the Band-Aid off.”

“Get it done. Let’s have some semblance of normalcy in our traffic,” he added. “There will still be other work for the project, but at least the roads would be open.”

Area businesses, like the Gilded Rabbit on 149 Street and 101 Avenue, have been greatly impacted by the ongoing road construction.

“This part of the project that was supposed to take a year is now getting into the fourth year of it,” said owner Marian Switzer. “It’s hard to see, I guess, an end of when all of this construction is going to be done.”

Switzer said Marigold’s plan sounds good in theory, but she can’t support it unless modifications aren’t made to ensure local businesses can still be accessed.

“If it’s at a point where I can’t get deliveries, and other businesses here can’t get deliveries, then that does become a major issue,” she explained. “(Construction is) slated for September to November, which is our back to school and moving into our Christmas season, too, which is our busiest time of year.”

A report detailing the proposal is expected on Tuesday when city council will debate the motion.

Switzer said she will be there to speak to her concerns.

“If there is a solution for it to be a possibility, then I would be all for it, again, only if it is going to only take seven to nine weeks,” Switzer said. “If it’s going to still take 20 weeks or 18 weeks, then we might as well just keep it the way that it is.

“There’s not a lot that has given me much faith in Marigold getting their stuff done according to schedule.”

Knack said Marigold is “quite interested” in the accelerated option, given that the work completed so far has taken longer than expected.

“Without going into the details, I think it is in Marigold’s best interest as well to get this done, and that’s why I think they’ve come up with what I think is a really detailed and thoughtful plan,” he added.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Jeremy Thompson