Edmonton commuters who use the Henday are being warned, as another construction project gets underway on a stretch of road that was upgraded one year ago.
Alberta Transportation has announced a project on Anthony Henday Drive is being expanded, adding an extra lane, less than one kilometre long, between Callingwood Road and Whitemud Drive.
“This, of course, increases safety of motorists, and also it helps reduce the probability of rear end collisions,” Martin Dupuis with Alberta Transportation said.
It’s an issue Sheryl Segouin told CTV News is a major problem for drivers.
“I think some of the merge lanes are too short, that you don’t have enough time to pick up your speed and merge into traffic,” Segouin said.
Dupuis said the problem was identified by officials after the interchange in the area was opened last fall – and traffic patterns changed.
“We studied the situation, and we concluded that yes, those auxiliary lanes were needed,” Dupuis said. “Because it’s always based on priorities and also available funding, so we needed to have that funding in place to be able to build those auxiliary lanes.”
The funding for the $1.5 million expansion was approved only recently – Dupuis said the process to add the lanes has been sped up because the work is being added to an existing repaving project.
“So basically, we are speeding things up,” Dupuis said. “We’re not waiting until next year to have this done, because it’s about safety, that’s what drives all our decisions.”
Officials expect construction on this portion of the Henday will be completed, weather permitting, by November 15.
With files from Susan Amerongen
