Edmonton's construction season peaks with Valley Line LRT disruptions

The first phase of the Valley Line LRTis now under construction. And withnearly all of the work happening at once, it's already makingfor some major traffic slowdowns and plenty of noise.

"It's probably the largest urban construction project when you consider how much construction is going on simultaneously across the city,"Valley Line spokesperson Dean Heumansaid Wednesday.

He knows it's going to be a hectic summer on the city's roads, but he says it's necessary to get the13-kilometre rail corridor readyon time for December 2020.

"This year and next year are massive construction seasons,"Heumansaid.

"After that, we're laying track, we're running electrical.It does ease the burden on the citizens dramatically at that point. It has to happen in order to make the time frames."

Some of the summer's construction hotspotsinclude:

Mill Woods (66th Street)

Noise-blocking walls are being installed along66thStreet over the next six to eight weeks.

Paving and track work will continue along the street until 2020. Changing traffic patterns and evening work are expected.

83rdStreet

There will be a permanent single-lane closure along 83rd Street between Argyll Road and Whyte Avenue. Work is expected to start in late June. Again, this is a permanent change.

Summer festivals unaffected

Festivals at Churchill Square will not change locations. Construction on the square and on 102nd Avenuebegins in August, whenfestivals wrap for the season.

Operations facility being built

The Gerry Wright Operations and Maintenance Facility is being built along 51st Avenue and 75thStreet.

The building will be the base for Valley Line staff and maintenance workers.

75th Street

The stretch of 75th Street betweenWhitemudDrive andArgyll Road is down to single lanes as waterlines are installed, elevated guideway foundations are laidand LRTconstruction is completed.

Overnight work may be required, butresidents will be notified before any of that begins, according to Heuman.

Added danger for cyclists?

Victor Gobeil, a 50thStreet resident and regular cyclist in the Mill Woods area, saidWednesday the construction is making his daily commute more difficult as drivers navigate the traffic changes.

"It poses a bit more risk I've practically got hit a couple of times because people are figuring out the new lanes," Gobeilsaid. "But if it's for three years, people are going to have to get used to it."

Fellow cyclistAdamErdely,who was riding his bikenear the futureMillbourne-WoodvaleLRT station Wednesday evening, said it will all be worth it in the end.

"I'll be glad when it's done butuntil then, it's going to slow down a lot of things," Erdely said."Butin the long run ... it'll make things a lot faster to get around town."