Keeping lanes open along major west-end streets during LRT construction slows down work: line builder

The construction manager for the company building Edmonton's west expansion of the Valley Line LRT says work at major intersections could go faster if it was able to close them completely.

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Traffic along two major Edmonton west-end arteries — 142 and 149 streets — has been slowing to a crawl for almost two years as drivers approach Stony Plain Road.

That's where north-south traffic is reduced from three lanes to one each direction.

It's more noticeable now that local schools are opening for the school year and people are returning to routines following the summer vacation period.

Jonathan Cox of Marigold Infrastructure Partners, the contractor building the extension from downtown to Lewis Farms that runs along the major east-west road, told CTV News Edmonton on Friday that complete road closures in stages could have sped up the work timeline, but the contract with the city requires one lane of traffic to stay open each way at all times.

"It means that we have to make small shifts, and we do a bit of work in each corner, and then we finally can get to the middle," Cox said.

"Our goal is to get to the middle and build the railway, but we have so much pre-work to do beforehand that it can be frustrating for people and for us."

Tim Cartmell, city councillor for Ward pihesiwin, said Friday the city needs to give more weight to the impact lengthy construction has on commuters and businesses when drafting contracts for major projects.

"We need to find a way to do what other places do and develop an ethic of 'get in, get it done, and get out of the way,'" Cartmell told CTV News Edmonton on Friday.

Cartmell last week held a media conference to call on city council to halt new project spending until work gets caught up on current projects, speaking outside a Stony Plain Road business that has been affected by the ongoing construction.

Marigold said on Aug. 23 that construction between 131 and 139 streets will be completed on schedule at the end of August, but Stony Plain Road will stay closed until November to complete work more quickly.

Construction of the Valley Line West LRT is expected to take another two to three years.

Cox said Marigold is conscious of students returning to school and is working to "reduce our impact" but that the timing of it is the same as the end of construction season.

"We have a big push on to try and complete areas and get our winter readiness in place for the end of the construction season," Cox said.

"Unfortunately, the message is, 'Please be patient that this is not going away. We are maintaining traffic flow. Let us know. If you think there's some small adjustment we can make, we will do it, but we have to work through a lot of phases."