In a potential bid of goodwill towards Edmonton commuters, the Government of Alberta announced plans to widen an 18-km stretch of SW Anthony Henday Drive from Whitemud Drive to 111 Street. Transportation Minister Brian Mason was on hand at a public event to deliver remarks on the upcoming work, the project expected to cost taxpayers approximately $100 million. 

18-km section of Anthony Henday Drive to go from 4 to 6 lanes, image via the Province of Alberta

While $100 million may sound like a lot of money, this figure is actually being kept much lower than it could be, owing to the fact that the 28 year-old ring road was originally built with future expansions in mind, the various bridges and overpasses that criss-cross its entirety designed with extra capacity for up to 8, or in some cases, even 10 lanes. 

Anthony Henday Drive/216 ring road around Edmonton, image via Google Maps

Begun in 1990, Anthony Henday Drive has been a transformative piece of Edmonton's infrastructure, the ring road having also been a main driver of suburban sprawl, which in turn has put an ever-increasing amount of strain on the heavily-used commuter expressway. Thus by widening its capacity, the laws of induced demand will more than likely see only a temporary period of relief for commuters, the benefits of faster travel to encourage more suburban development, which will once again clog the roads in the near future. 

Think widening Anthony Henday Drive is the answer to Edmonton's commuter traffic woes? Tell us what you think in the comments section below!