Downtown biz group worries Edmonton bridge construction crunch could hurt city's core

A downtown Edmonton business advocacy group is worried about how a series of planned bridge closures due to construction could impact the city.

The city has slated five key bridges for repair in the coming years. This year, construction is planned to begin on the Dawson, Wellington and southbound Low Level bridges. 

So much simultaneous construction, on so many key pathways into the city's core, will further hamper an already beleaguered downtown recovery process, according to the Edmonton Downtown Revitalization Coalition. 

"The implications on big business, education institutions, and to say nothing of our small businesses, restaurants, retailers, this could be catastrophic," said coalition chair Cheryll Watson while on CBC Radio's Edmonton AM.

The bridge work is part of the city's bridge renewal program, which identifies around central Edmonton that require renewal or replacement investment over within five to 10 years.

The planned construction comes alongside other major ongoing projects, such as roadwork for the Valley Line West LRT, which has impacted intersections along Stony Plain Road, 156th Street and 87th Avenue for several years.

City administration sent a memo to council last year that stated the construction could add 15 to 30 minutes to drivers' commute time.

Watson said there are concerns to be raised as to why multiple major infrastructure projects are happening at the same time. 

"There's a good question for our city administration about how we got here — and for current council and past council about how they've let this happen," Watson said. 

The city recognizes the planned construction will disrupt Edmonton's core, so it is trying to reduce that through phased construction schedules, detour routes and "collaboration with other nearby projects," said Natalie Lazurko, the city's director of transportation planning and design, in a statement to CBC News.

The city said it oversees almost 350 bridges, which need ongoing inspection, maintenance and renewal.

Ward pihesiwin Coun. Tim Cartmell said he wants administration to exhaust all options before looking at full closures.

"I feel like we haven't explored all the options," he said.

Cartmell raised derating the bridges as potential idea. The city, he said, could prohibit truck and bus traffic on the bridges — or a selection of them — and allow them to stay open to other vehicles traffic for "another year or two."