THE STORY OF EDMONTON’S VALLEY LINE
Current traffic pinchpoints on the future LRT line
Downtown / River Valley
Edmonton will have three LRT stops on 102 Avenue downtown – at 102 Street, Churchill Square and in The Quarters – and the line dips underground before it crosses Jasper Avenue.
Because Jasper Avenue is untouched and the downtown grid gives motorists travel options, city officials aren’t concerned about traffic downtown.
When the train comes out of the tunnel, it gets a new river bridge and stays elevated over 98 Avenue. The Muttart stop gives access to the river valley and Cloverdale. Vehicle traffic keeps three lanes on Connors Road, shifted 10 metres south to ensure minimal space is lost in Gallagher Park and the Edmonton Ski Club on Connors Hill. 83 Street / Whyte Avenue
The route through the Strathearn/Bonnie Doon area “is probably the most challenging area we have on the line,” said Adam Laughlin, Edmonton’s head of infrastructure.
But the diversion off Connors Road also has benefits for traffic. It means the line doesn’t touch a key commuter route on 85 Street and Connors Road, giving people a path to avoid LRT congestion. It also moves the train off the traffic circle, bypassing it to run over 90 Avenue further east.
Because of the congestion, this is the main location where the LRT won’t get full priority over traffic. It will be required to hold at one of the local stations until it can flow with traffic through a green light. 83 Street south of Whyte Avenue
The neighbourhoods of King Edward Park and Avonmore will see LRT cut one of their main access roads to one lane of traffic in each direction, sometimes with left turns banned.
"Those that are using 83 Street for commuting, we would encourage them to jump on the LRT," said Laughlin, adding some people will be forced to make three right turns to get home instead of one left.
The alternative was to run the LRT to 75 Street earlier but the city wanted to avoid impacting a key corridor for commercial and truck traffic, he said. Residents will get access to the train at the Avonmore stop. Whitemud Drive
The Whitemud Drive off and on ramps already handle heavy traffic but elevating the track to avoid them is almost impossible, said Guy Boston, head of the city’s LRT delivery.
It’s too close to the maintenance yard, which is already about four metres lower than the road. Getting trains from the yard to an elevated track would be too steep a grade, said Boston. Plus, 51 Avenue is a designated high clearance route for oversized loads heading to Fort McMurray. An elevated track would be in the way.
To cope with congestion, this is the second location where operators may hold the train to let vehicle traffic through. 95 Avenue / 85 Street
When officials created a point system to rank potential routes, redevelopment potential came first with four points. Cost and traffic impacts tied for second with three points each.
That’s why the line diverts east at the top of the bank rather than barrelling down Connors Road, said Laughlin. Instead, the route runs down the middle of 95 Avenue to stop at Strathearn Heights, a 1,900-unit redevelopment at 88 Street.
Then a wide turn routes it down the east side of 85 Street, giving direct access for potentially 1,200 households in a redeveloped Holyrood Gardens. Heading south, the line cuts across to the west side of 83 Street stopping in front of the Bonnie Doon Mall, a site the developer Morguard says it wants to redevelop with a mix of residential and commercial. 75 Street
Here, officials are trying to minimize impact to industry and truck movement. The line has to go over the Canadian Pacific Rail line, but rises early to avoid Argyll Road. Davies Station is elevated, as is the 75 Street crossing. Then the route runs down the east side of 75 Street.
On the ground, the train can pick up speed, racing past intersections at McIntyre and Roper roads before passing the new LRT maintenance yard, built on the former Whitemud Amusement Park. 75 Street gets widened from four to six lanes during construction, but will also draw traffic to the Davies park ‘n ride.
Widening 75 Street north of Wagner Road could be next, said Laughlin. His team is using a regional traffic model to predict congestion spilling outside the LRT route. He plans to bring a plan to council in 2018 if the numbers support it. 66 Street / Mill Woods Town Centre
The existing corridors made the decision to run the LRT down the east side of 66 Street easy. Each intersection will have lights to improve cross traffic.
Here, the RioCan land in Mill Woods Town Centre is the best redevelopment opportunity as council recently approved zoning for 1,750 new homes. That’s a big reason why the route makes a wide turn across 28 Avenue to end on the south side, said Laughlin.
That will impact traffic on 28 Avenue, but drivers can take Hewes Way instead, said Laughlin. The station will become a major transportation and activity hub with several residential towers and Edmonton’s first urban-style bus terminal integrated with development.