Edmonton’s High Street area is bracing itself for yet another bridge closure impacting their bottom line.
A decade ago, it was the two-year-long 102 Avenue bridge closure. Now, another bridge just down that same road is expected to be closed for almost as long.
The Wellington Bridge, just to the west of the former Royal Alberta Museum site on 102 Avenue in the Glenora area, was shut down Monday to traffic in both directions as city construction crews prepare to tear it down.
The city expects it will remain closed until the end of 2026.
The bridge is being replaced because the current span is reaching the end of its service life. According to the city, the new design will improve accessibility and safety with a shared pathway between pedestrians and cyclists, barriers and handrails.
But some businesses along 124 Street and in the High Street area are worried about a decline in customer traffic and their fears are not unfounded — they said that’s what happened a decade ago.
“We have been through something similar when the (102 Avenue) bridge that was right beside us closed and it definitely impacted traffic,” said Cloud Nine Pajamas co-owner Miranda Heslip.
“We have data on that — that it really did affect sales and traffic,” she said.
Work to replace the 102 Avenue bridge over Groat Road began in July 2014, and was set to last until September 2015. However, three of the girders buckled in March 2015, shutting down Groat Road for weeks and pushing back the opening of the project. The new $32-million bridge finally opened in the summer of 2016.
“In those years that it was closed, we really saw a significant decrease,” Heslip said.
Some businesses didn’t survive that closure.
Heslip fears construction on the next closest route — Stony Plain Road, a few blocks north — will compound the pain this time around.
“I am really worried about the traffic that’s going to be coming down to this area.”
Heslip said she found out about the bridge closure last week and wishes area businesses had been given more notice from the City of Edmonton so they could have adjusted their staffing and orders in advance.
“We did think that it was going to be a little bit further in the future and let us get a little bit more of a Christmas season in. So the fact that it is closed here in September was definitely a big surprise to us,” she said.
She said the holiday season is very important for many of the small businesses in the area.
“Going into a Christmas season, it just affects what we would do differently and we didn’t have the notice to really plan that way.”
High Street businesses say they’ve seen how the Valley Line West LRT construction has hurt nearby businesses and fear they are next to face hardships.
“It seems like it’s one struggle after another sometimes after coming out of COVID,” said Natalie Charlton, a partner in a mother-and-daughter boutique called Shop Harrow, which sells women’s clothes, gifts and accessories.
“We’re all just starting to gain momentum again. We’re heading into the holiday season — which could be a great time of the year for us — But now with the construction going on, we’re not sure how that’s going to affect us.”
Her daughter started the shop featuring vintage-inspired and Canadian-made brands in 2017 from her basement in Hinton, and two years later they expanded to a shop to Edmonton’s High Street area.
Charlton said they are just one of many entrepreneurs and businesses owners who have put it all on the line to offer something unique.
“We don’t have the big brand selling us. We don’t have other locations in different parts of the city. We’re here. Most of us are small, independents. So everybody that comes through our door is of value to us as a business.
“We create a clientele. We get to know our customers. We’re to serve. And when people can’t get to us, it really makes a hit on small business.”
High Street business owners frustrated by new round of construction
Area businesses are meeting this week to plan how they can work together to drive more overall traffic to the area, Heslip said.
“We’re not the only area here that is having issues with construction in front of their businesses, so it’s just really reminding people to support the businesses that are going through tough times when construction is in front of their business,” Heslip said, in reference to the Valley Line West LRT construction a couple blocks north on 104 Avenue near 124 Street.
She understands the construction work has to happen and appreciates the city’s efforts to keep Edmonton maintained and beautiful, but can’t help but worry about the next two years.
Charlton hopes people will still make an effort to shop local.
“The construction is going to go forward. We’re not going to be able to stop that. But I’m really hoping that people will still make the effort to come out and support us,” Charlton said.
“Small business is important. These little boutique areas are kind of what create downtown cores… I just hope people will do their best to get here.”
This is the second bridge heading into downtown to be closed for repair work in recent months, and one of three overall carrying traffic in and out of downtown set to undergo construction at different points in 2025.
In July, part of the Low Level Bridge was closed to northbound vehicles and traffic flows rerouted so work can be done to fix the southbound bridge.
More minor Dawson Bridge repair work in the river valley is also planned, but set to wrap up by the end of 2025. The city said that bridge will only have weekend or overnight closures, to avoid overlap with any delays on the Low Level.
It isn’t just drivers heading downtown that experience traffic woes in Edmonton.
On the south side, the Rainbow Valley Bridges on Whitemud Driver have also been undergoing construction upgrades for the past two years as part of the nearby Terwillegar Drive expressway upgrade.
Construction on the Whitemud Drive Rainbow Valley bridges, including a new pedestrian bridge, on Friday, August 8, 2025.
Global News
The city says construction on Wellington Bridge has been scheduled to align with the LRT on Stony Plain Road to minimize disruption.
Drivers headed towards downtown from the west end are encouraged to detour by at 142 Street and use 107 Avenue. There, they can turn south again at 124 Street to get to Jasper Avenue or continue on 107th towards the downtown core.
To improve traffic flow during the Wellington Bridge construction, the city said parking will be prohibited at all times on the northbound side of 124 Street , between Jasper Avenue and 102 Avenue — and between 102 Avenue and 107 Avenue, it will be prohibited from 3:30 – 6 p.m. on weekdays.
Drivers can also use Groat Road or use Stony Plain Road, however there is still heavy Valley Line West LRT construction on that route.
Pedestrians and cyclists can detour through the Glenora neighbourhood.