Latest news with #ValleyLineLRT
Edmonton Journal
20-06-2025
- Business
- Edmonton Journal
Opinion: Downtown Edmonton plan should reflect the needs of all
Article content On June 26, city council will vote on whether to extend the Downtown Community Revitalization Levy — funding that would support the new Downtown Action Plan, a $553-million strategy made up of eight main categories and 45 detailed subcategories. Over the past decade, downtown Edmonton has seen big changes: the Ice District and the long-awaited Valley Line LRT, to name a few. But despite these efforts, major challenges haven't gone away. Commercial vacancy rates are still high, property values are dropping, and downtown is contributing a shrinking share of the city's overall tax base.
Global News
07-06-2025
- 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
Global News
03-06-2025
- Business
- Global News
107 Avenue construction adds difficulty in getting to and from downtown Edmonton
Drivers trying to get from west Edmonton to downtown face even more construction woes, as lane closures have made their way onto 107 Avenue. The once-reliable direct route to avoid other road construction projects — related to the west leg of the Valley Line LRT — is now taking a hit due to the 107 Avenue revitalization project. Some sections between 101 and 121 Street may be reduced to one lane in both directions heading east and west, between 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. — off peak hours, according to the city. Daniela Gatto commutes downtown and said now she heads further north and loops around to make it into the core faster. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'It's the whole area here. It's just a nightmare,' Gatto said. Now there are lane closures on all three main routes between west Edmonton and downtown: 104 Avenue and Stony Plain Road for the major LRT work and the west end of Jasper Avenue to fix roads. Story continues below advertisement Some drivers and business owners question why the city does it all at once. 'Having them all that close together is making it extremely difficult for people living in the area. I mean, they should have several blocks free of construction for people to maneuver properly,' Gatto. But as the old saying goes, Edmonton has two seasons: winter and construction, and Sam El Mohtar with transportation infrastructure delivery for the city said it's essential work that needs to get done. 'When they're in the middle of construction it's not easy to go and pull the plug on them — and it costs the city and taxpayers,' El Mohtar, said. 'Budgets are not readily available for all the projects so it's about prioritization which one can go at which time depending on the funds available.' The city said delaying these crucial projects will result in failing infrastructure, which is what happened on Jasper Avenue. 'We really appreciate (Edmontonians) patience and tolerance of all this work till we get out of it,' El Mohtar said. For now, plan ahead and strategize getting in and out of the downtown core.
