Three bridges carrying traffic in and out of Edmonton’s downtown are set to undergo construction at different points in 2025.
City administration says it has a plan to cut back any traffic congestion.
“They recognize they can’t be closing three bridges down all at once, (so) they’re not closing three bridges all at once,” ward Nakota Isga coun. Andrew Knack said.
This spring, rehab work will close the southbound portion of the Low Level Bridge for about four months.
The Low Level is actually two different bridge decks built at different times: the northbound span was constructed in 1900 and as Edmonton’s oldest river crossing bridge, is a historic structure.
The northbound bridge underwent its most recent major rehabilitation in 2006, which the city said provided an additional 25 years of service.
The Low Level southbound was constructed in 1949 and underwent its most recent major rehabilitation in 1994, so after 30 years it’s due for rehabilitation.
During that time, southbound traffic will move over to the northbound lanes, and vehicles going north will cross using the nearby James MacDonald Bridge instead.
The city said both bridges are nearing the end of service life but “given the results of condition assessments, maintenance costs and planning and design work, it has been determined that the eventual decommissioning of the southbound structure and rehabilitating the northbound structure is the preferred option.”
Therefore, the southbound bridge is undergoing upgrades to extend its service life as an interim solution. That work is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
The Low Level Bridge in Edmonton, Alta. on Friday, August 16, 2019.
Scott Johnston, Global News
Dawson Bridge repair work in the river valley will start in the summer and expected to be completed by the end of 2025. Administration says that bridge will only have weekend or overnight closures, to avoid overlap with any delays on the Low Level.
In the fall, the Wellington Bridge on 102 Avenue near the former Royal Alberta Museum in the Glenora area will be demolished and replaced. That bridge on the major route between the west end and downtown is expected to reopen by late 2026, with landscaping finished in 2027.
Administration says the timeline is designed to start after nearby intersection work for the Valley Line West is finished.
That construction work shut down a nearby stretch of Stony Plain Road for nearly two years, when the old bridge over Groat Road was demolished and replaced with a new span that accommodates LRT tracks. During that closure, east and westbound traffic was diverted south to 102nd Avenue and north to 107th Avenue.
The city is spacing the construction work out to keep the city moving and accessible.
“They’re staggering it in a way that actually responds to the feedback we heard, from primarily the business community in the downtown core,” Knack said.
One of Edmonton’s most iconic and historic structures, the High Level Bridge, was constructed by the Canadian Pacific Railway Company between 1910 and 1913, and ownership was transferred to the city in 1994.
The High Level last went under major work in 1995 and needs rehabilitation, however when passing the 2023-2026 capital budget, the city expected that work would happen towards the end of the four-year budget cycle. This week, the city said design for renewal is in progress, and construction timelines have yet to be determined.
The Downtown Revitalization Coalition had previously expressed concern that multiple construction projects would ‘choke off’ downtown access.
The coalition said while it was disappointed that much of the city council discussion on Tuesday centred on how construction projects are communicated rather than their real-world impact, chair Cheryll Watson said the staggered plan is encouraging.
Her priority now is ensuring the construction projects stay on track and don’t overlap.
“We have seen in past experience, there are construction delays and I think that businesses and residents should still be wary,” Watson said.
“Predictability is very key and the city needs to make sure that it’s able to keep these projects on schedule.”
The Coalition said businesses need predictability, Edmontonians need ease of access, and projects must be completed efficiently and not planned in isolation to avoid prolonged disruptions.
But as anyone who has lived in Edmonton for any period of time knows, bridge projects don’t always run on schedule.
There were major delays on previous projects involving the Quesnell Bridge, Walterdale Bridge and 102 Avenue Bridge.
“I think the biggest thing the business community now wants to is, are we going to deliver on what’s being said?” Knack said. “I have no reason to doubt our administration on that.”