Paula Simons: After 26 years, Anthony Henday ring road finally comes full circle
Edmonton, we’ve come full circle.
Twenty-six years after construction began on Anthony Henday Drive, our regional ring road is finally complete.
Saturday afternoon, the final 27-km leg of the road, the northeast segment connecting Manning Drive with Whitemud Drive, will open for traffic.
“Then everybody will be able to drive the whole loop, with no stops,” says Bill van der Meer, the ring road’s project manager. “It’s a freeway, with no stops anywhere. It’s 80 kilometres of free-flow.”
The spanking new northeast leg is the longest segment of Henday yet. And with a budget of $1.81 billion, it’s the most expensive, too. And it brings the total cost of the Henday to just over $4 billion.
“I think people are going to be blown away by the northeast leg, and how beautiful it is,” says van der Meer. “I think people are really going to be surprised.”