The Edmonton experience

Much like when it adopted P3 school builds, the provincial government looked to its neighbours to get a feel for what challenges might face Saskatchewan’s largest ever transportation infrastructure project.

In Edmonton, that’s the $1.8-billion Northeast Anthony Henday Drive project.

It too is being built through a P3 model, and includes 27 kilometres of six- and eight-lane divided freeway, nine service interchanges, seven grade separations and twin river bridge structures.

Much like the planned Regina bypass, there will be no traffic lights on the road.

The province was confident using a P3 process would mean the road would be “finished three years earlier than through conventional delivery.”

Carrie Sancartier with Alberta Transportation says it was hoped sections of the road would be ready for traffic this winter “so work could begin sooner on other parts of the road.”

Bridge work, though, has been delayed, putting that construction behind.

But, Sancartier says, “other parts of the project” are actually further ahead than expected, such as the Manning Freeway to 153 Avenue northeast interchange and 18 Street northeast.

“We fully expect the roadway will be open to traffic in 2016 — on time and on budget,” she says.

Then there were the concerns voiced by residents who live near the road.

In response, government implemented “noise and lighting mitigation requirements” that contractors have to follow.

Sancartier says Alberta’s government did what it could to be “inclusive and transparent throughout the planning process.”

“We held dozens of public open houses across the region between 2005 and 2007 so that people could provide their feedback before the design of the final leg of the ring road was complete,” she says.