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Cycling and Active Transportation in Edmonton
- Thread starter Daveography
- Start date
TAS
Senior Member
Some updates from city admin - several delays in the active transportation work.
The MUP along the southside boulevard of 107Ave (from 163 to 131 streets) that was originally scheduled for 2025 has been postponed until 2027 to avoid adding any other construction. (This is certainly understandable).
Regarding the 100st work from 83 to 80 Ave, the wrong pin-on curbs, which are used to delineate the bike lane, were installed by the contractor and had to be replaced which caused some of the delay there. However this same issue, says the city, means the planned pin on curb construction of Victoria Park Rd is on hold until 2026. So it will go back to bikes/pedestrians sharing a narrow sidewalk unless cyclists want to ride on this road during the winter. These curbs that the contractor were going to use do not match specifications and would impede drainage and cause ice buildup in the winter.
Kingsway Ave MUP from 113 to 122st will also be delayed until 2026 - not surprising since it hasn't started yet. I also rode down Fort Rd yesterday and they are still not finished that MUP project from 2024 (south of 137Ave to Belevedere). Regarding 113st/Kingsway Ave - the crossing light will be installed in 2026.
The same faulty pin on curbs also impacts the 96st work as well from 119-124Ave - but the city is still making that a 2025 priority to get the new product there prior to end of construction season.
This city team has had a difficult time meeting many of their construction targets since this funding was put in place.
Depending on the election result, these all may grind to a hault anyway.
The MUP along the southside boulevard of 107Ave (from 163 to 131 streets) that was originally scheduled for 2025 has been postponed until 2027 to avoid adding any other construction. (This is certainly understandable).
Regarding the 100st work from 83 to 80 Ave, the wrong pin-on curbs, which are used to delineate the bike lane, were installed by the contractor and had to be replaced which caused some of the delay there. However this same issue, says the city, means the planned pin on curb construction of Victoria Park Rd is on hold until 2026. So it will go back to bikes/pedestrians sharing a narrow sidewalk unless cyclists want to ride on this road during the winter. These curbs that the contractor were going to use do not match specifications and would impede drainage and cause ice buildup in the winter.
Kingsway Ave MUP from 113 to 122st will also be delayed until 2026 - not surprising since it hasn't started yet. I also rode down Fort Rd yesterday and they are still not finished that MUP project from 2024 (south of 137Ave to Belevedere). Regarding 113st/Kingsway Ave - the crossing light will be installed in 2026.
The same faulty pin on curbs also impacts the 96st work as well from 119-124Ave - but the city is still making that a 2025 priority to get the new product there prior to end of construction season.
This city team has had a difficult time meeting many of their construction targets since this funding was put in place.
Depending on the election result, these all may grind to a hault anyway.
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northlands
Senior Member
Thanks for the update, been wondering why there wasn't any movement on the permanent install on Vic Park Rd.
Really though HOW does this happen. Seriously. Pin-on curbs are about as basic of a pre-cast barrier you can get. City should have an exact engineered spec in the tender documents that the contractor just has to send to their pre-cast supplier and voila. If the contractor were to use a different spec, it should have never touched a road surface without signoff from the CoE project manager, and it's unclear to me why this wasn't stopped immediately upon install of the clearly wrong pin-on curbs. But even after that, if drainage and ice buildup are an issue just have the contractor bring in a concrete cutting company to saw in some drainage pockets. And more importantly, not sure whose brother-in-law's company was hired to screw this up, but please blacklist them from ever touching another City project.
fromyeg
Active Member
I can tolerate delays.
If a bunch of routes do get scrapped though through decisions made by the new council I will be sad.
I guess a reminder to go vote and bug your friends/family to vote for candidates who support active transportation.
If a bunch of routes do get scrapped though through decisions made by the new council I will be sad.
I guess a reminder to go vote and bug your friends/family to vote for candidates who support active transportation.
Avenuer
Senior Member
Kingsway needs to happen, there are zero decent alternatives to biking to anything along it currently and the existing sidewalks are garbage.I can tolerate delays.
If a bunch of routes do get scrapped though through decisions made by the new council I will be sad.
I guess a reminder to go vote and bug your friends/family to vote for candidates who support active transportation.
trevorhayden
Active Member
I will not accept any cancelled bike paths. We literally accepted the absolute bare minimum. Anything less is completely unacceptable.
thommyjo
Senior Member
We should not tolerate delays.I can tolerate delays.
If a bunch of routes do get scrapped though through decisions made by the new council I will be sad.
I guess a reminder to go vote and bug your friends/family to vote for candidates who support active transportation.
These are simple projects compared to most city infrastructure.
Having sat in on a few conversations with some of the people working on these new paths, I’m not surprised by the delays. There was little sense of experience, competency, or excellence.
Depending on both the city election, and province’s continued meddling, we could see many of the not yet completed projects be cancelled. 2-3 year delays are not reasonable. This isn’t an LRT. It’s mostly some asphalt on a grassy ROW with a few light post relocations or tree removals….or it’s paint and pin-on curbs/speed bumps.
trevorhayden
Active Member
There is a deadline to get it done. I am most worried about the Victoria Road project. It's at the highest risk.
ntt1
Active Member
Sure feels like a lot of the construction contracts for these projects didn't even begin work until September-October. Anyone have any insights on why that might have been the case?
SarcasticMarmot
Active Member
Based on my interactions with the City staff assigned these projects, it does not seem like senior Admin viewed them as important but as a nuisance thrust on them by council. Every project has a new team made up of entirely junior/inexperienced staff with very minimal support and no coordination. It's pretty clear that Corbould wanted them to fail, don't know if the rest of the senior staff feels the same.
CplKlinger
Senior Member
If the new council does halt this project, I will never forgive development companies like Westrich for donating tens of thousands of dollars to Cartmell's campaign and party. It's difficult to be excited about projects built by a company like Westrich when they give big money to a person who actively opposes providing safe ways for people to get to those new apartments without driving a car.
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northlands
Senior Member
Also curious. I understand the City only has so many resources and thus not every civil project can start in May/June, but it is frustrating when they start a project late in the year, don’t finish it, and then sits idle for seven months through winter blocking lanes and/or sidewalks plus looking like a major eyesore.
106 st adjacent to Warehouse Park is a good example. They didn’t start construction till August, and currently they’re miles away from finishing the west side this year. If the weather turns in the next few weeks they’ll have no chance to finish it and it’ll sit blocking the street along our beautiful fancy new downtown central park all winter. If they started a month earlier they’d be finished no problem.
ntt1
Active Member
Perhaps a bit of an unrelated rant... but while it was technically a part of the Missing Sidewalks program, I was quite frustrated with the contractor who worked on the first portion of the 111 St path south of 34 Ave.
This section is now complete, but there was a good two months worth of a crosswalk being totally inaccessible with no detour signage. Parts of the road were dug up for new curb ramps/concrete work, but once those were done, the gap between the new concrete and road were left open for a good 3+ weeks. When the traffic islands were removed and repoured, there was no detour put in place, or closure signage. I even once came across the contractors doing concrete work with no barriers or signage in place and would have ridden through wet concrete if they hadn't called out to me. Multiple times I saw people trying to cross but not being able to and getting thrown directly out into a four lane road with no crossing. For a few weeks, the only way to cross the west side 34 Ave between Greenfield and Blue Quill was to take the lane on 111 Street southbound and attempt to hop onto the bus stop curb, or continue all the way to Saddleback Road.
I originally was in contact with the project manager but he just stopped responding to me when I raised these issues, and multiple 311 requests got nowhere. It's a non-issue now as everything is done, but a similar disruption for vehicle traffic would be totally unacceptable and it's frustrating that absolutely nothing was done to remedy the concern for a good two months. I finally got frustrated and sent an e-mail to Janz, who forwarded it again, but by the time they got back to me 2 months later, everything was done. Sigh.
At least with the work between Harry Ainlay and Greenfield, there were proper detour signs and barriers, but it appears to have been a different contractor. All this to say that perhaps (presumably) awarding to the lowest bidder on some of these active transport projects has some consequences.
This section is now complete, but there was a good two months worth of a crosswalk being totally inaccessible with no detour signage. Parts of the road were dug up for new curb ramps/concrete work, but once those were done, the gap between the new concrete and road were left open for a good 3+ weeks. When the traffic islands were removed and repoured, there was no detour put in place, or closure signage. I even once came across the contractors doing concrete work with no barriers or signage in place and would have ridden through wet concrete if they hadn't called out to me. Multiple times I saw people trying to cross but not being able to and getting thrown directly out into a four lane road with no crossing. For a few weeks, the only way to cross the west side 34 Ave between Greenfield and Blue Quill was to take the lane on 111 Street southbound and attempt to hop onto the bus stop curb, or continue all the way to Saddleback Road.
I originally was in contact with the project manager but he just stopped responding to me when I raised these issues, and multiple 311 requests got nowhere. It's a non-issue now as everything is done, but a similar disruption for vehicle traffic would be totally unacceptable and it's frustrating that absolutely nothing was done to remedy the concern for a good two months. I finally got frustrated and sent an e-mail to Janz, who forwarded it again, but by the time they got back to me 2 months later, everything was done. Sigh.
At least with the work between Harry Ainlay and Greenfield, there were proper detour signs and barriers, but it appears to have been a different contractor. All this to say that perhaps (presumably) awarding to the lowest bidder on some of these active transport projects has some consequences.
trevorhayden
Active Member
New poll has Knack with a slight lead. So that should be hopeful.
TAS
Senior Member
Here's more background info I was given when inquiring to the late start of projects.
The 2025 programs, as well as those being carried over from 2024, are all being delivered through separate construction contracts and are being managed by different construction project managers (4 teams). Most of the work will take place consecutively, meaning that a construction contractor will finish one route before moving onto the next. Many of the routes are short and many will be constructed using adaptable measures, unlike the shared use paths which began construction in 2024.
Both 2024 and 2025 had construction start late in the season. In 2024, I was told certain routes experienced some unexpected design and procurement-related challenges.
At a council meeting before election break I believe council was told $75 million has been spent so far or committed to in contracts. Given what is proposed still for 2026 (the most amount of work of the three years 2024-26) and what is postponed from 2025 still and requiring work (plus 107Ave in 2027) - that's concerning.
The 2025 programs, as well as those being carried over from 2024, are all being delivered through separate construction contracts and are being managed by different construction project managers (4 teams). Most of the work will take place consecutively, meaning that a construction contractor will finish one route before moving onto the next. Many of the routes are short and many will be constructed using adaptable measures, unlike the shared use paths which began construction in 2024.
Both 2024 and 2025 had construction start late in the season. In 2024, I was told certain routes experienced some unexpected design and procurement-related challenges.
At a council meeting before election break I believe council was told $75 million has been spent so far or committed to in contracts. Given what is proposed still for 2026 (the most amount of work of the three years 2024-26) and what is postponed from 2025 still and requiring work (plus 107Ave in 2027) - that's concerning.