City traffic counts show that more than 70,000 vehicles pass through the intersection of 87 Avenue and 170 Street per day, It\u2019s one of the busiest access points for West Edmonton Mall. The Misericordia Hospital is nearby.<\/p>\n
That intersection will be source of many traffic snarls this year, unless drivers can find alternate routes. On Friday, the city of Edmonton and Marigold Construction Partners announced that 87 Avenue will soon be reduced to one lane each way, between 159 Street and the access ramps onto Anthony Henday Drive. Traffic shifts will begin at the intersection of 87 Avenue and 178 Street on April 27, and then at 87 Avenue and 170 Street on May 4.<\/p>\n
The closures are needed to facilitate the ongoing construction of the Valley Line West LRT extension.<\/p>\n
The lane closures are expected to remain in place until the end of the 2026 construction season \u2014 so, when the first snows of autumn leave white stuff on the ground.<\/p>\n
The road will be stripped right down to the base and rebuilt, but this is expected to be the final major roadwork needed for the Valley Line expansion. No more major road closures or lane reductions are expected after this section is done.<\/p>\n
\u201cCertainly, there\u2019s work to be done still for the trackway and the electrification and the signaling and all sorts of things like that,\u201d said Brian Latte, the city\u2019s director of the Valley Line LRT project. \u201cBut in terms of road and sidewalk construction, we\u2019re pretty much going to be done this year, which we\u2019re pretty happy for. We at least hope the commuters will be happy because they won\u2019t see any of the traffic restrictions like they\u2019ve had in the last four or five years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peter Schening, Marigold\u2019s construction manager, said discussions are ongoing with officials at WEM and at the Misericordia to ensure there is access to these hubs from 87 Avenue.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the essential services, we meet with them on a regular basis to ensure that they know what we\u2019re doing \u2014 and to not impact any essential services or emergency services,\u201d said Schening. \u201cSo, there\u2019s a lot of coordination that goes on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two elevated stations, one at the hospital and one at the mall, are still to be completed. The elevated bed was completed last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe whole feel of the neighbourhood is going to be different, especially once we get all the landscaping in, the stations are built, the parking lots,\u201d said Schening.<\/p>\n
He said the project remains on budget and the final track and station work should be completed in 2028. After that will come testing of the system. In 2023, the anticipated opening of the south extension was delayed when cracks in track-supporting piers were found during the testing phase.<\/p>\n
Schening said that Marigold is currently not experiencing any supply-chain issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were able to secure a lot of our supply chains early on,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s just an ongoing risk that we manage at this point. No, we\u2019re not too concerned.\u201d<\/p>\n
As 87 Avenue\u2019s lanes are reduced, construction and lane reductions continue to snarl LRT construction areas on Stony Plain Road, through the Glenora neighbourhood and west into the business area.<\/p>\n
Latte said the city is pleased with how construction is progressing in the Stony Plain Road area.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re very pleased, 2025 was was a great year,\u201d he said. \u201cThere were all those major intersection restrictions and intersection closures. They all got done on time. Stony Plain Road got finished in terms of the sidewalks and the curbs, so access to the business is unrestricted now.\u201d<\/p>\n
ssandor@postmedia.com<\/p>\n
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