Edmonton airport departures roadway renovations expected to be completed by this fall

The Edmonton International Airport (YEG) says renovations to the roadway at the departures level are expected to be completed by this fall.

The project, which is part of planned maintenance of the terminal, started last September.

"Our departure deck and ramp project is scheduled to be completed fall 2024, thanks to the mild winter and the great work with our internal project team and our project partners," airport spokesperson Peter Agnew told reporters on Tuesday.

Officials wouldn't disclose the timeline for the project back in September, but on Tuesday Agnew said it was originally scheduled to take 20 months.

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In addition to extending the life of the infrastructure, Agnew says improvements are being made to the departures level road as well.

The road is being widened from one lane to two, and enhancements are being made to protect pedestrians.

"We will have security bollards the whole way across the face of our terminal. And that's to protect our passengers that are waiting for their loved ones to come and pick them up," Agnew said.

Additionally, work is underway to bring the spirit of the river valley to the design, but Agnew isn't giving away too many details about that portion of the project.

"We're very proud of what we do here. And we're very proud of our city. So being able to bring elements of a river valley to our curbside is very important to give that passenger experience a fresh look at what we do here," he said.

"We're still working with our architect on [the design], so I don't want to give away the surprise just yet. In four or five months' time hopefully we'd be able to unveil that."

The initial estimate for the project was $32 million, but Agnew says that doesn't include all the aesthetic improvements.

Funding for the project comes from airport improvement fees.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Amanda Anderson