It’s full steam ahead for the second construction season on the North LRT to NAIT project.
We’re keeping an aggressive schedule so we can stay on track to officially open the new line in April 2014. Although work continued on the North LRT over the winter, most of it happened off of major roadways. This year’s warmer temperatures meant that major roadworks for the project were able to start early in March.
The first major task of the season began on March 19, when a two-block section of 105 Street between 105 Avenue and 107 Avenue was closed until November to accommodate track construction.
106 Street was recently closed just south of Princess Elizabeth Avenue so that contractors can build tracks across the roadway. Following the month-long closure of 106 Street, Princess Elizabeth Avenue will be closed between 106 Street and 109 Street for roughly one month so that a rail crossing can be built just west of 106 Street.
The final major roadworks of the season will involve the closure of 111 Avenue for several days at 106 Street to accommodate construction of a final rail crossing. You’ll also see minor roadworks throughout the North LRT right-of-way.
In addition to roadworks, the tunnelling operation will continue 24-hours a day, seven days a week until early 2013. Churchill Station will also be undergoing a major transformation this spring and summer. Special track work will be installed just north of the station to allow trains on the existing LRT line to switch to the NAIT line and vice versa. One-third of the width of the platform will be blocked off and LRT will be operating on at reduced frequencies until September. New schedules are available at http://www.takeets.com/.
You can also expect to see major progress on the entire North LRT right-of-way. We’re scheduled to complete several major structures this year, including:
- Concrete track slabs along the entire right-of-way.
- LRT station structures at MacEwan, Kingsway/Royal Alex and NAIT.
- A new Kingsway/Royal Alex Transit Centre.
- A tail track just southwest of Health Sciences Station, to allow trains to safely switch directions and return to NAIT.
We certainly have a very busy construction season ahead of us! We’ll keep our fingers crossed for good weather throughout the spring, summer and fall so we can get as much done as possible before winter is back on our doorstep.
We really appreciate the patience that motorists, pedestrians and the local community have shown as we’ve worked hard to improve the way we move in Edmonton with the North LRT.
We hope that everyone will continue to keep in mind that in just two years we’ll have a new LRT line that provides a sustainable and affordable connection to hospitals, post-secondary institutions and much more.
In the meantime, check out our web page or our project’s major construction map for the latest construction information.