Edmonton mulls Walterdale Bridge 2-way traffic flow changes amid upcoming construction

The Walterdale Bridge is simply a main artery for drivers heading northbound towards downtown Edmonton, but nan metropolis is looking astatine adding southbound lanes to thief mitigate looming building congestion.

While nan plans aren’t finalized, nan metropolis says nan two-way alteration will amended postulation travel arsenic upcoming building will redirect much vehicles onto nan Walterdale.

According to a metropolis memo, betwixt 2025 and 2o29, 3 spans successful nan North Saskatchewan River vale — nan Dawson Bridge, nan Low Level Bridge, and nan High Level Bridge — are each anticipated to spell nether either partial aliases afloat closures for maintenance.

On 102 Avenue, activity connected nan Wellington Bridge successful Glenora will besides lead to postulation disruptions.

That intends drivers will alteration their routes.

The metropolis says it is preparing for postulation gridlock betwixt span repairs and different projects connected nan way, including nan LRT building and upgrades to Jasper Avenue.

“Edmonton has an extended inventory of astir 347 bridges (pedestrian and vehicle) worthy astir $2.6 cardinal successful replacement value,” City of Edmonton proscription readying and creation head Natalie Lazurko said successful a statement.

“These bridges require ongoing inspection, attraction and renewal to guarantee they support their expected level of service.”

No changes would beryllium made to nan Walterdale Bridge itself.

Adding southbound lanes connected Walterdale Bridge intends Rossdale Road and Walterdale Hill Road would besides acquisition traffic-flow changes to guarantee vehicles person entree connected and disconnected nan span successful some directions.

“Planning and creation is underway for these web adjustments, pinch a determination regarding two-way operations connected Walterdale Bridge still taxable to further analysis. Network adjustments are anticipated to beryllium implemented anterior to nan closure of Wellington Bridge successful 2025,” Lazurko said.

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Coun. Andrew Knack says while repairs for each span are back-to-back, nan metropolis must travel nan lifespan to repair nan structures earlier it’s excessively late.

“There’s going to beryllium impact, right? But nan mobility is really do you effort to mitigate that,” he explained.

“Part of why we measurement each twelvemonth is that you request to make judge bridges are 1 of those things wherever you can’t hold until they fail,” Knack said.

Changing span travel directions successful Edmonton is not without precedent: postulation connected nan High Level Bridge flowed successful some directions from erstwhile it opened successful 1913 until 1980.

Traffic connected some nan Walterdale and High Level were past changed to one-way to amended utilize nan 2 bridges.