LRTExtension

I once heard it said that Edmonton has but 2 seasons ....cold and construction. We're coming out of the cold season, snow is disappearing and temperatures are rising and now construction season will accelerate in earnest and so does the challenge.

There's the challenge of dodging the gazillions of potholes that have grown over winter and the crews working to fix them. Then comes the BIGGEST challenge .... road construction projects and the delays and detours that are part of it.

One of the first projects that will entail the closing of the Stony Plain Road/124 Street intersection. This closure has to do with LRT construction and will begin the latter part of this month and continue for approximately 2 months. This is a heads up for the many who will be affected by the closure of this busy intersection. To be warned is to be prepared.

On/around November 16 the 23 Avenue and 111th Street intersection will undergo a major lane shift that will last approximately 2 years. The change is needed for construction of the LRT underpass which will allow trains to travel beneath the intersection. The city says the majority of work will take place on weekdays between 7 am and 5 pm but some construction may occur on Saturdays, depending on the weather.

The DailyHive article below has maps illustrating the changes that will affect the intersection.

The Capital Line South Extension Project got the official "go ahead" on Wednesday when the City has awarded a design build contract to Capital Line Design-Build Ltd., a member of the Ledcor Group of Companies, with AECOM as its design partner. The contract was to build the 4.5 kilometre extension from Century Park to north of Ellerslie Road. The city has already spent more than $70 million to prepare the LRT route in south Edmonton, and now will be paying $242 million more than originally budgeted. Originally, the city was to pay $343 million, but now it will spend $585 million.

Mayor Sohi is the chief cheerleader and budget juggler for the various costly projects but he does have followers on council who keep approving the projects.