The fall provides a good opportunity to reflect on the many projects that progressed in 2023. This year to date, 34 projects are completed and now in service, and with planning, designing and engagement, maintenance and rehabilitation work continuing year round, 84 more projects are on track to be completed by the end of the year.
By the numbers
• $8 billion invested in capital construction projects (2023-2026 capital budget)
• 200+ active City projects in planning, design and construction
• 13 km of the new Valley Line Southeast LRT line open for service
• 63 units of affordable housing started construction
• 100+ kilometres of local roadway and sidewalk renewed
• 80 years: the age of Latta Bridge, which was replaced to meet today’s needs
• No. 31: the new Windermere Fire Station, the City’s first net-zero energy building
• nine neighbourhoods experienced significant renewal
• 56 years: the age of the original infrastructure being updated in Hawrelak Park
A season of firsts
This year saw the opening of two new facilities marking some notable firsts.
The new Windermere Fire Station #31, which opened this summer, is the City of Edmonton’s first net-zero energy building, and features a rooftop solar installation, a geothermal heating and cooling system and other climate resilient design features.
kihcihkaw askî-Sacred Land is the first permanent urban Indigenous cultural and ceremonial grounds of its kind in Canada. Construction was completed in March, and the official grand opening was in September 2023, hosted by the Indigenous Knowledge & Wisdom Centre (IKWC). Located in Whitemud Park, it provides a natural setting for the Indigenous community to host ceremonies, sweat lodges and facilitate intergenerational learning.
Works in progress
Building a city for two million people is no small feat. With the diligent planning, engagement, design and building required to bring them to life, many of the projects we worked on this season will take years to complete. Still, a lot of progress was made across the city, including:
• Construction started on Stage Two of the Terwillegar Drive Expansion.
• Phase two design for the Peter Hemingway Fitness and Leisure Centre Rehabilitation was completed.
• Construction started on the Lewis Farms Facility and Park.
• Early works construction for the Capital Line South Extension continued along the alignment.
• Construction started on the William Hawrelak Park Rehabilitation Project.
Don’t forget the “little” things
When a much-anticipated LRT line or new bridge opens, it’s easy to see how big projects transform our city. Some of the smaller-scale projects we work on may not seem to have the same impact, but every sidewalk revitalized and escalator repaired shapes the daily life of those who use them. The construction of a new spray park, like the one we built in Schonsee, creates a new summer hang-out for families. A project like the rehabilitation of the Strathcona Place Society Centre ensures that programs and services can continue to be offered to seniors for years to come. All of these projects, big and smaller, help us build a city for all Edmontonians, in all phases of life.
We did it together
The inconvenience of construction on your commute, or the waiting required for facilities to re-open after rehabilitation, can make it hard to remember what these projects are working toward. From the renewal of Twin Brooks playground, to the progress made on the Yellowhead Trail Freeway Conversion Program, all the work this season helped advance our goal of a city that’s safe, healthy and climate resilient for today and the future.
The patience and understanding of Edmontonians and hard work of City employees, contractors and partners is what made it possible—thank you everyone.
Interested in more detail on progress on Capital Projects this season? Visit building.edmonton.ca/projects to learn more about each project.
Editor’s note: the pic at the top of the post shows the Muttart Stop on the Valley Line Southeast LRT.