The city has outlined the first steps in the planned upgrades to Groat Road bridges and road renewal.
Starting Monday morning, crews will begin working on the project – which means as of 9 a.m., traffic on Groat Road from 87 Avenue to Victoria Park Road will be reduced to one lane in each direction.
Drivers are advised to use alternate routes to cross the river while construction is underway. The city said pedestrian access would be maintained, but officials said the sidewalk along the bridge over the river will be narrower than usual, so cyclists will be asked to dismount when they cross the bridge.
The city recognizes the construction will cause traffic headaches for drivers and says the project is important.
"These activities are essentially to maintaining our infrastructure. We're adding 50 years for the lifetime of this bridge," Sam El Mohtar, the city's director of transportation infrastructure delivery, said.
Crews will upgrade the three bridges along Groat Road between 87 Avenue and Victoria Park Road – the bridge over Victoria Park Road, the bridge on Emily Murphy Park Road over Groat Road, and the Groat Road Bridge over the North Saskatchewan River.
Construction is expected to continue through to 2020.
