Paula Simons: $200-million LRT underpass is wrong route for Stony Plain Road renewal
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Given how much commuters hate waiting for the train in Belgravia or Kingsway, you understand why city council wants to make this intersection work. Stony Plain Road, the old main street of the Town of Jasper Place, isn’t a major commuter route — it’s just too narrow. Anyone who really wants to get somewhere in a hurry takes 100 Avenue or 107 Avenue anyway. But 149 Street is a major artery, linking the Yellowhead with the Whitemud. A serious bottleneck at Stony Plain Road would indeed be a major hassle for thousands of drivers.
But a $200-million underpass? Seriously?
Building the on and off ramps would require the purchase or annexation of big swaths of land. It would take up eight lanes and effectively require the demolition of the whole west side of the Jasper Gates shopping plaza, along with many of the storefronts along Stony Plain Road. Now, knocking down some buildings along the route is inevitable. But an interchange this massive would destroy many businesses and amenities that have been critical to the area’s slowly-building urban renewal.
The west leg of the Valley Line LRT was supposed to kick-start a long-heralded renaissance along Stony Plain Road. The promise to residents and business owners was that the low-floor train, which runs at street grade, would make the street more walkable, would bring more shoppers and diners to the area and would give Stony Plain Road a more European, cosmopolitan feel.
What’s proposed here looks more like an autobahn than a gemütlich European high street. The underpass wouldn’t just steamroll over existing thriving businesses. It would inhibit new development. Who’s going to want to build infill beside such an eyesore? Is the highest, best use for properties near MacKinnon Ravine and the new LRT stop really an on-ramp?
