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Gateway Boulevard Reconstruction and Rehabilitation | ?m | ?s | City of Edmonton

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Rehabilitation (University Avenue to 80 Avenue) and reconstruction (80 Avenue to 82 Avenue) of Gateway Boulevard is planned for 2022.

Key Highlights:
  • Proposed new sidewalk on the east side of the road between 80 Avenue and 82 Avenue
  • Proposed curb extensions at 82 Avenue intersection and 81 Avenue intersection
  • Proposed sidewalk widening on the west side of the road between 81 Avenue and 82 Avenue to enhance pedestrian space and provide an amenity zone for potential landscaping
    • The trade off for these features is removal of on street parking on the west side of Gateway Boulevard
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I would rather see Gateway Boulevard reduced to two lanes of through traffic changing the eastern lane to widened sidewalk plus bike-lane, sharing the available width of the traffic lane equally. Gateway doesn't need to be high speed at this juncture and the more pedestrian character would benefit the Historic Rail Station and Beljan's proposed adjacent development. I would also like to see ERRS cross Whyte with a destination stop adjacent to the Railway Station or, alternatively, Beljan's development. This would also lead to widening the sidewalk adjacent to the Strathcona Hotel. I would also like to see pedestrian bridges over Gateway Blvd. at both 80th Avenue and 81st Avenue.
 
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I think even though this would be stupid whyte Ave should shut down from 105th - Gateway (with through traffic going on Calgary Trail) in the summers and make it a large pedestrian space where restaurants and shops can expand out into the street.
Banff town did that this year and it was great!
 
@danimori Oh, okay, I was unfamiliar with that one. Not sure there's really a place to put it north of 78 Ave without some property acquisition. Still probably worth putting the question/suggestion forward; it would be a good connection to have.
 
^ and redevelop the CP railyards already, that would really fix everything! :D

Absolutely. I think it's time for CP Lands and the City to work together to create a proper vision/master plan for the entire Rail Yards... What I'd like to see is a dense walkable 6-story Parisian style district with the potential for a few key 'Scrapers at future LRT stations down the corridor... And yes creating a proper bypass tunnel system that links Gateway-Calgary Trail to Walterdale directly funnelling all that inbound/outbound traffic OUT of Old Strathcona... I always feel guilty if and when I cut through the area because I know I'm part of the reason why a bypass needs to happen. It just happens that it's still the best way for MOST people from the southside to access the CBD...

That and the city should revive the plan to add LRT down the CP ROW. A high floor metro line from Grandin station to at least South Edmonton Common... The entire way is prime real estate for T.O.D. since that's how it was originally designed and planned until the fickle, fickle council of the 1980's did an abrupt about face and sent trains down 111 St instead... Not a bad idea at all, just one that leaves a lot of frustrating service gaps in areas where LRT would have been key in making them over... Don't believe me? Just stare at the Weber Centre and realize that this was actually part of a larger master planned mid/high rise cluster planned for the district linked to downtown via the LRT... Heart-breaking for any true rail fan... Same with the aborted Metro Line... They could have easily re-used the abandoned now city owned CN Rail ROW to the Edmonton Via Station near Calder and CC Airport. That alone would have allowed/created a proper inter-model link especially with Greyhound stopping there in the last few years before its demise...
 
The city is planning to make a commuter rail line along this same corridor (going to the airport), which would be bookended by 2 southern LRT lines, so I think the south side would be pretty set for commuting into downtown for the time being . I like your idea for the CP rail yard tho, and they probably are gonna make a commuter rail station at Whyte Ave (if it happens).
 

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