Edmonton’s High Level Bridge Streetcar could soon run all the way to Whyte Avenue.
The Edmonton Radial Railway Society, who runs the streetcar line, is looking at extending the track from behind the Strathcona Farmers Market across Gateway Boulevard, with a stop at Whyte Avenue and Gateway, across from the Strathcona Hotel.
“The benefits will be better location, more visibility and also take people right to the heart of Old Strathcona,” said Chris Ashdown, president of the ERRS.
Currently, the line runs from May to October, with passengers getting on and off behind the farmers market on the south side of the river, and at a terminal just south of Jasper Avenue on the north side of the river.
ERRS is still waiting on approval from the city on the line change, but it hopes to start construction in July. Ashdown said it likely won’t open until summer 2020.
The project will cost between $700,000 and $800,000, funded by grants from the city ($293,000) and the province ($250,000). ERRS will pay for the rest.
Mayor Don Iveson expects traffic disruptions caused by the street cars to be minimal.
“I think most people are tickled when they see it go by and it’s only every once in a while that it’s going by, so I don’t think it’s going to have a huge disruption. I think it’s going to improve the draw for tourism.”
Approximately 90,000 people rode the street cars last year.
“One of the things we’ll be doing this year, we’re going to increase the number of street cars and the frequency we’re operating on the weekends because of the popularity,” Ashdown said.
The ERRS is run by volunteers. They also run and maintain the streetcars at Fort Edmonton Park. You can find out more about the High Level Bridge Streetcar on their website.
With files from CTV Edmonton’s Regan Hasegawa
