Road construction season kicking off, City breaks down more than $400M in projects

CTV Edmonton: City unveils road construction plan Drivers are already seeing lots of construction, but drivers should prepare for more as the season is underway.

The City of Edmonton said Friday that the road construction season had kicked off – as evidenced by the road construction barricades that had popped up around the city – with hundreds of millions of dollars budgeted for them.

Officials said $451 million in more than 175 projects for arterial roads, bridges, interchanges and neighbourhoods this year.

“It’s not the busiest year we’ve ever had, but it will have a healthy amount of construction activity,” Paul Szczepanski with the City of Edmonton said.

Szczepanski said the downturn in the economy had not affected spring construction plans – it had actually helped.

“Prices have been coming in very favourably for the city for this type of work,” Szczepanski said.

The City said road construction during the 2015 construction season will include widening Whitemud Drive between 75/66 Street and 17 street, rehabilitation of Connors Road between 90 Avenue and 94 Street, along with neighbourhood renewal in six neighbourhoods:

Plus, projects continuing from 2014 include reconstruction 112 Avenue between 50 Street and 68 Street, along with neighbourhood renewal in Cromdale, Glenora, and Laurier Heights.

Officials said it’ll take time to get the projects completed, and officials know a number of drivers will be inconvenienced at times.

“Please be patient, it’s hard to do it with nobody around,” Szczepanski said.

“I’m absolutely sure that after the work is done, everybody is much happier for it.”

With files from Susan Amerongen