Construction work traffic delays drive southwest Edmontonians mad

Residents in southwest Edmonton say their commute time has quadrupled due to a new construction project they had no warning about. Curtis Goodrum reports.

The start of construction projects in a southwest Edmonton neighbourhood left some residents – and consequently, their area councillor – a little flustered.

Ward pihêsiwin Coun. Mike Elliott says he released a timeline for Windermere construction after frustrated commuters who had their drive times quadrupled by the delays asked him what was up.

“The communication was lacking significantly on this. And there’s nothing worse than (when) your own councillor can’t even provide a response back to a citizen,” he told CTV News Edmonton.

With warmer temperatures settling in the city comes the beginning of a new season of rehabilitation and roadwork. This year, the city has crews on more than 200 projects.

Those projects include road work for the Terwillegar Drive Expansion, reducing the road to two lanes at the Windermere Boulevard intersection, which is already causing major delays during peak traffic, Elliott said.

Further work on Anthony Henday Drive interchanges in the area is also anticipated in the summer and will run until as late as 2028.

“We have various different contractors in this area … essentially we have construction going on from Whitemud Drive and 53rd Avenue to Terwillegar, Windermere Boulevard, to Ambleside, to Rabbit Hill Road southbound, and on and on,” Elliott told CTV News Edmonton.

Jasbreet Jagdev, the owner of Flame and Barrel in that area, says his suppliers, staff and customers have already been impacted by traffic delays as the unexpected closures tack on 10 minutes to an hour of extra time.

“It’s directly proportional to each other. When a supplier is supposed to come at 2 p.m., there’s one guy doing the prep, but he doesn’t have the raw material. The raw material comes at 3 p.m. (instead), and he’s going to spend one hour finishing that prep, (when) he should’ve been in operation already,” he explained.

Elliott brought concerns from his constituents to the city administration. Some developers in the area are set to increase their hours of operation, thereby speeding up construction timelines. He says he has faith in the city’s approach to alleviating traffic congestion.

But the councillor is still frustrated by the lack of warning for the necessary work.

“I am sincerely grateful that this is being worked on, because this needs to be upgraded as a significant mover of transportation through this corridor,” he said of the Windermere Boulevard work.

“It’s a project that needed to come, but it needed to come with better preparation and definitely more outreach to residents to let them know this was going on.”

A City of Edmonton spokesperson says administration is committed to getting the most up-to-date information about road closures and traffic delays to residents and says traffic delays are also, in part, a side effect of Edmonton’s ever-increasing population.

“Starting this week, we will be sending weekly notifications to local media and posting on our social media and websites to update everyone on construction work and lane closures that may impact people’s commute,” Sara Nichols with the city told reporters Friday.

A traffic disruptions map can be found on the city’s website.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Curtis Goodrum