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CBC
9 hours ago
- Business
- CBC
Stony Plain Road, 124th Street intersection set to re-open after 6 weeks
Social Sharing The intersection of Stony Plain Road and 124th Street in Edmonton is expected to re-open to traffic and pedestrians next week, as crews wrap up construction on that section of the Valley Line West LRT, the City of Edmonton and Marigold Infrastructure Projects announced Friday. The intersection shut down completely on April 21 to allow crews to accelerate work on the LRT line. "We were going to be in this zone in a heavy way for about a year-and-a-half, and we've condensed that into seven weeks," Jonathan Cox, construction manager with Marigold Infrastructure Projects, the company building the line, said during a media availability Friday. Cox added that the intersection should open a few days earlier than originally scheduled. "It is huge," he said. "It's just because of the change of the rules about how we can access and which lanes we keep open." Brian Latte, the city's director of the Valley Line West, said the progress reflects well on the contractor. "We're really optimistic that they're just going to continue this effective work through the balance of this year until the end of the project," Latte said at the media availability. The Valley Line West LRT is now about 40 per cent complete, Cox said. It is expected to open in 2028. Businesses frustrated For six weeks, businesses on the corner of Stony Plain and 124th Street could only be accessed by the sidewalk. Some businesses nearby the closed-off area also felt the impact, including the Vetrina Cafe, which opened just south of Stony Plain Road last fall. "It was good. It was many customers," owner Fikra Moese told CBC News Friday. "Now it's very low … because of construction." Gallery and shop owners have noticed the impact, including the owner of the Lando Gallery, Brent Luebke, who says the signage is insufficient for pedestrians and motorists. "When people do come to the area, they just don't know where to go," Luebke told CBC News Friday. From his gallery, he said he has seen a lot of vehicles doing U-turns when they meet the fenced-off area to the north, and pedestrians are equally as lost. Luebke said he wants the city to put up signs farther down the street to give people more advanced notice. More construction Other intersections along the Valley Line West route are still under construction, including the 156th Street interchange and 159th Street/Meadowlark at 89th Avenue, which are set to remain closed until mid-July, the city said. The subsequent phase of work will start next week, moving up the road to 139th Street and Stony Plain Road in a previously unplanned closure for nine weeks. Starting June 10, the intersection at 142nd Street and Stony Plain Road will also be partially closed for nine weeks, the city said. The decision to simultaneously close both intersections will reduce long-term disruption to the neighbourhood, businesses and commuters, the city said in a news release Friday. 'The new normal' Latte, of the City of Edmonton, said municipal officials are discussing a similar approach on other projects that would see roads and intersections completely closed to speed up work. "If there's something that we can do at a location that's similar, that has the same results, absolutely it's something we would consider," Latte said. Cox acknowledged that there may have been some skeptics because of previous city projects that were delayed. The Valley Line Southeast LRT, for example, was nearly three years behind schedule when it opened in November 2023. The Walterdale Bridge replacement was two years behind when it opened in September 2017. But Cox described the accelerated approach as "the new normal." "We can deliver in these time frames," he said.
Global News
2 days ago
- Business
- Global News
Valley Line LRT West construction, road closures enter Phase 2
The City of Edmonton is moving into the second of three phases of its accelerated roadwork this summer, to make room for the 14-kilometre second leg of the Valley Line LRT from the downtown core to the west end. The city elected to shut down select intersections so the builder, Marigold Infrastructure Partners, can get work done about twice as fast as previously expected, instead of maintaining access and dragging out construction for a few more years. 4:57 Valley Line West builders aim to condense construction schedule with closures Starting next week, Stony Plain Road and 139 Street will be fully closed to traffic for about nine weeks. There will be a partial closure upcoming at Stony Plain Road and 142 Street. Story continues below advertisement Roadwork will also commence on 95 Avenue and 156 Street area, resulting in some partial closures, but that won't begin until road work along Stony Plain Road and 156 Street is complete. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'We know this work is disruptive to commuters, residents and businesses, and we appreciate everyone's continued patience,' City of Edmonton's Valley Line West Director Brian Latte said in a statement. As the project enters Phase 2, that means some construction will wrap up shortly in the intersections under Phase 1. Traffic is expected to flow through the intersection of Stony Plain Road and 124 Street sometime next week ,after being closed for seven weeks. 'Thanks to favourable conditions, we're able to open the 124 Street intersection on schedule,' Marigold Infrastructure Partners construction manager Jonathan Cox said in a statement. 'We recognize this closure had a significant impact on the businesses in the area, and we sincerely appreciate their patience during this important construction period.' The three-phase accelerated plan began in April and is expected to wrap up by the end of November, resulting in significant traffic restrictions at key intersections and along busy corridors. In a news conference Friday morning, both the city and Marigold said closing down whole intersections is a strategy they hope to adopt in future projects. Story continues below advertisement 'Everything is different. Locations are different. Traffic impacts are different. If there's something we can do to a location that's similar that has the same results, then absolutely,' Latte said. 'This performed exactly as we expected,' Cox explained. 'I think, maybe, some members of the public had some skepticism — which was justified, based on previous projects in the city and previous performance. But, this is the new normal, I think for us, and we can deliver in these time frames.' The work along the 104 Avenue corridor between 106 Street to 121 Street will remain ongoing throughout all three phases. By the end of 2025, the city said Marigold aims to have all of the roads around the LRT in their final configuration. Major construction began in 2021, and so far, the line is more than 40 per cent complete. Marigold projects that roughly 60 per cent of the project will be complete by the end of the year. The entire west leg of the Valley Line LRT is expected to be complete in 2028. The Valley Line is a public-private partnership being built by Marigold Infrastructure Partners, which is made up of a team from French civil engineering and construction firm Colas and American technology-focused defense, intelligence, and infrastructure engineering firm Parsons. Story continues below advertisement Forty-six low-floor train cars for the line will be supplied by Hyundai Rotem Company. — With files from Karen Bartko, Global News
CTV News
2 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Valley Line West LRT: Here's what's changing as Phase 2 begins next week
Drivers, riders and pedestrians will be able to access a critical intersection next week as Phase 2 of the Valley Line West LRT begins. City planners say the intersection at Stony Plain Road and 124 Street is expected to reopen on Monday. Stony Plain Road and 124 Street closure This section of Stony Plain Road and 124 Street will be closed entirely for an expected eight weeks to allow for accelerated construction on the Valley Line West LRT expansion. 'Thanks to favourable conditions, we're able to open the 124 Street intersection on schedule,' said Jonathan Cox, construction manager at Marigold Infrastructure Partners. Marigold is the company the city commissioned to build the west Edmonton LRT line. Accelerated roadwork on the line began in mid-April and aims to reduce the duration of traffic restrictions by more than half and get many of the roads into their final configuration by the end of the year. The three-phased accelerated plan is anticipated to continue until the end of November. Crews remain on schedule to open intersections at 87 Avenue and Meadowlark Road and Stony Plain Road and 156 Street in mid-July. LRT construction Valley Line West LRT construction on June 14, 2024. (Matt Marshall/CTV News Edmonton) Work on 104 Avenue between 105 Street and 121 Street will continue until the end of November, with traffic reduced to one lane in each direction. 'We know this work is disruptive to commuters, residents and businesses, and we appreciate everyone's continued patience,' said Brian Latte, director of Valley Line West. 'We encourage residents to continue supporting local businesses affected by construction.' Phase 2 update While Stony Plain Road and 124 Street opens, workers will move on to the intersection of Stony Plain Road and 142 Street earlier than planned, said a statement from the city. The intersection will be partially closed for nine weeks starting June 10. The Y-intersection at Stony Plain Road and 139 Street will be fully closed to traffic starting June 8 for approximately nine weeks. 'While the closure of 139 Street was not a part of the accelerated roadwork plan, the decision to close it at the same time as 142 Street will reduce long-term disruption to the neighbourhood, businesses and commuters,' said the city's statement. West Valley Line LRT sketch 149 Street will operate at full capacity going north and south while the 139 Street and 142 Street intersections undergo construction. Information on traffic and pedestrian impacts can be found on Marigold's construction bulletin. Partial closures will impact 95 Avenue and 156 Street for approximately nine weeks. The work is expected to begin in mid-July once work at Stony Plain Road and 156 Street is complete. Construction will have impacts on public transit. Service adjustments can be found on the ETS website.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Researcher issues warning about unexpected health risk lurking in coastal waters: 'Prevention is always better than cure'
It's the last thing anyone wants to think about when they're swimming in the ocean, but the contamination of raw sewage in sea waters is becoming what one researcher has called "an increasingly critical issue for public health." A February publication in the journal Microbiology, authored by Jonathan Cox of Aston University, provided an overview of the types and degrees of coastal water contamination from sewage, with a focus on the United Kingdom. Cox explained that several types of pathogenic bacteria are commonly found in such sources. These bacteria — including multiple strains of Vibrio, Chlamydia, E. Coli, Streptococci, and more — pose a "significant" risk to human health and the environment. Ingestion and inhalation of sewage-contaminated water have led to outbreaks of gastroenteritis and bacterial pneumonia. Exposure can also cause skin infections, ear and eye infections, and tonsillitis. As is the case with most public health threats, at-risk populations — much older, much younger, immunocompromised, and pregnant people — can be especially susceptible to serious illness. Aside from these human health concerns, the pathogens can endanger the balance and safety of entire coastal ecosystems. For example, the presence of sewage can cause algal blooms, which in turn can choke out resources like light and oxygen from reaching beneficial native plants and animals. And because shellfish serve as filter feeders — eating up organic matter or smaller organisms found in water — the bacteria can often accumulate within them. In fact, some people have developed severe food poisoning from affected shellfish. In grave cases, food poisoning can be fatal, but there are additional risks. The more this bacteria re-circulates in the food chain and food supply, and the more people are treated for the illness it causes, Cox warns, the more antimicrobial resistance may build, bringing weighty consequences. The World Health Organization estimated that bacterial antimicrobial resistance "was directly responsible for 1.27 million global deaths in 2019." Diarrheal disease, like gastroenteritis, is also a leading cause of mortality in children globally, driven largely by contaminated water and disproportionately impacting low- and middle-income countries. There, access to clean drinking water is often already compromised due to lack of infrastructure, ongoing conflict, drought, and more. Cox explains in the paper that while monitoring efforts and strict discharge standards are in place for sewage treatment plants, they may not be enough. "Storm overflows were intended to release surplus sewage into the sea on rare occasions," he writes, "but despite this intention, some water companies are responsible for up to 200 discharges of raw untreated sewage into our coastal waters each year." How often do you worry about the quality of your drinking water? Never Sometimes Often Always Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Further, "during heavy rainfall events, water companies will continue to discharge untreated sewage into the sea," potentially almost as a matter of course when systems are overwhelmed. In a world where heat-trapping pollution sends global temperatures higher and higher, exacerbating extreme weather events like rainstorms and floods, contamination risks for coastal waters seem likely to increase. Many coastal communities are already geographically and infrastructurally vulnerable to storm surges and floods as sea levels rise, so they may face compounding problems. Researchers are developing new water treatment technologies, such as ultraviolet disinfection and phage applications, but many of these are currently too expensive to implement at scale. Sewage contamination isn't exactly the flashiest cause to root for — making some noise about it could improve investment in R&D so that one day these innovations might work where they're needed most. In the meantime, if you're swimming, surfing, paddling, or otherwise recreating in public waters, it's best to be cautious. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, you'll want to do your research, observe the actual water quality on site, never drink unclean water, avoid swimming if you're sick or have an open wound, and make sure to shower before and after your swim. "Whilst we're waiting for the improved management, innovation and investment that is required to solve the issue and save our seaside, don't bury your head in the sand regarding water quality," warns Cox. "Check before you swim. Afterall, prevention is always better than cure." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
