Edmonton: Making for Smoother Traffic
The city of Edmonton, in the province of Alberta, Canada, is giving one of its major arteries a full makeover, by turning the heavily-congested road into a three-lane freeway. Standard General Edmonton, a Colas Canada company, is hard at work on the project, the biggest it has ever undertaken.
On the western section, teams are laying 107,000 tons of asphalt, carrying out pipe work, installing a new stormwater management system, building retaining walls and noise barriers, creating a retention basin, and more.
All of this in the Middle of the City!
“Users, local residents and other companies have very high expectations," explains Patrick Houle, project manager. “Our mission is also to make the work as acceptable as possible. Located in the middle of an urban area, the site is also very visible for the general public, so exemplarity is essential.”
As the city's main artery, the Yellowhead Trail project means that teams are working right next to existing shops, businesses, etc., so guaranteeing proper access to all those places at all times is a must.
The End of the "Stroad"
Three years of work will be needed to transform the western section of the avenue that crosses the city, which is used by 50,000 to 70,000 cars every day! To help smooth out traffic congestion, the traffic lights and crosswalks have been removed: the objective is to allow for free-flowing traffic on the section that is clearly separate from city traffic.
Up to now, the Yellowhead Trail was what is called a "stroads", a word coined by the North American urban planner Charles Marohn. It is a mix of “street" and "road", a combination of the functions of the two, a street serving the city, with pedestrians, cars, buildings close to the sidewalk, spaces for parking, etc., and a road, where speed is higher, with wide lanes and limited entrances/exits. Thanks to the conversion project carried out by Colas, the Yellowhead Trail “stroad” will be unimodal in function.
The result will be smoother traffic, less idling, simpler journeys and better safety thanks to a clear separation of residents and motorists.
