The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, the Honourable Ric McIver, Minister of Transportation for the Province of Alberta, and Stephen Mandel, Mayor of Edmonton participated in a ceremonial signing event for the construction of the Queen Elizabeth II Highway (QEII) and 41 Avenue Southwest Intermodal Access project in Edmonton, Alberta. The Ministers were joined at the ceremonial signing event by representatives from the City of Edmonton and Canadian Pacific.

“Our government is focused on creating jobs, growth and long-term prosperity for all Canadians,” said Minister Fast.  “That is why we are supporting worthwhile initiatives like the QEII and 41 Avenue SW Intermodal Access project which will facilitate increased trade and support getting world-class Canadian exports to high-growth Asian markets faster.”

The total cost of this project is estimated at $205 million, with the federal government contributing up to $75 million under the Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative. In addition, the Province of Alberta is investing $57.5 million and the City of Edmonton is providing $72.5 million towards the interchange project.

“Not only will this interchange provide better access to local residents, it will also make it easier to move goods in and out of the Capital Region and Alberta,” said Minister McIver. “The partnership that is building this vital access increases our ability to reach international markets. The benefits of an integrated transportation system are limitless.”

“The intermodal access project is a crucial addition to Edmonton’s transportation infrastructure,” said Stephen Mandel, Mayor of Edmonton. “It provides an important link to the provincial transportation corridor and assists in the movement of people, goods and services throughout the Alberta Capital Region.”

The project will improve connections between different modes of transportation, improve rail and road traffic flows, and facilitate economic development and international trade with Asia-Pacific countries. The QEII is an important north-south provincial highway on the National Highway System that is used not only for commuter trips, but also for the transportation of commercial goods between regions. The project will include the construction of a new interchange over the QEII, including a grade separation over the Canadian Pacific mainline and future staging tracks; the realignment of QEII Highway from south of 41 Avenue SW to Ellerslie Road; a bridge over Blackmud Creek; and upgrades to 41 Avenue SW to handle the traffic generated from the new intermodal terminal.

This initiative adds to the government's unprecedented investments in infrastructure, announced in Canada's Economic Action Plan 2013. The government is delivering the new Building Canada plan to construct roads, bridges, subways, commuter rail, and other public infrastructure in cooperation with provinces, territories, and municipalities. Combined with other federal infrastructure investments, it supports Canada's infrastructure advantage, a key enabler of economic growth and job creation. Since 2006, the federal government has made unprecedented investments in over 43,000 projects to build roads, bridges, commuter rail and other important public infrastructure.

During this time of optimizing dollars, the Alberta government is working to improve market access and support a growing economy by focusing on the core transportation network and developing key corridors. This benefits all Albertans and Canadians, regardless of where they live, and represents the Alberta government’s commitment to building our economic future through a transportation network that helps move goods across Alberta to local, national or international destinations. The Alberta government is committed to providing support to municipalities and partnering with industry and other levels of government to create jobs, support strong communities and build for tomorrow.

The City of Edmonton’s Office of Traffic Safety, in partnership with the Edmonton Police Commission, is hosting Edmonton’s 5th annual International Conference on Urban Traffic Safety.

Event:	Edmonton’s 5th Annual International Conference on Urban Traffic Safety
Date:	April 29 to May 2, 2013
Location:	Shaw Conference Centre

Delegates from around the world will gather to share best practices and discuss the challenges and issues inherent to creating a culture of traffic safety in major urban centres. Organizers are expecting more than 250 representatives from law enforcement, traffic engineering, academic institutions and community groups at this internationally-renowned event.

With an impressive line-up of leading-edge traffic experts, the conference is intended to inspire creative and innovative ideas, and to provide a basis for further action. Presentations include:

• Colonel John Born of the Ohio State Highway Patrol (A Safer World through Effective Traffic Safety)
• Dave Sheehan, INTERPOL, France (Leadership for the Law Enforcement Community to Optimize Global Efforts to Increase Safety)
• Edmonton Police Chief Rod Knecht (Transformational Leadership in Urban Traffic Safety)

In conjunction with the conference, the Office of Traffic Safety and ICDR Inc. are holding the second annual Run Walk Ride 4 Traffic Safety on Saturday April 27, 2013, from 9am-1pm at Concordia University College. Proceeds from this event go towards the Memorial & Traffic Safety Fund, established to provide an opportunity for people to memorialize loved ones lost in traffic collisions. 

Now that spring is finally on its way to Edmonton, roadway maintenance crews are getting ready to sweep away the remains of the winter season as they launch the neighbourhood street cleaning campaign on Monday, April 22, 2013.

The significant snowfall increase over last season means that crews have additional work to remove the excess sand used on arterial and collector routes.

 “We applied approximately 184,000 tonnes of material to the roads over the past six months, ensuring that commuters had traction during snow events and over the course of the many freeze/thaw cycles we endured,” says Bob Dunford, Director of Roadway Maintenance. “Although the campaign has been delayed due to a prolonged snow season, we’ve been working on many arterial and collector roadways for a few weeks and now we’re ready to get into Edmonton neighbourhoods.”

The cleanup of Edmonton’s 4,700 km of roads, including major roads, residential streets, alleyways and boulevards, takes eight to nine weeks for crews to complete. Citizens are asked to remove litter and debris from boulevards adjacent to residential or commercial properties prior to street sweepers visiting their area. Residents should watch for signs indicating that  street cleaning crews will be coming to their neighbourhood, and to remove their vehicle from city streets wherever possible.

An interactive street sweeping schedule, much like the neighbourhood blading schedule used over the winter months, is available at www.edmonton.ca/streetcleaning.

“We’d like to remind drivers to exercise extreme caution around crews,” adds Dunford. “Whether we’re out on the streets filling potholes, making repairs, or cleaning, our workers are vulnerable. Please slow down, leave them lots of room and understand that they are out there to improve the appearance and condition of city streets.” 

The City of Edmonton recovers two-thirds of the abrasives it lays down during the snow season, cleaning and separating material picked up during the spring cleaning campaign. Eighty per cent of the material is processed, and portions of it reused for future winter road maintenance, reducing the strain on local landfills.  

The recycling program saves Edmonton taxpayers approximately $5 million in reduced truck travel, sand purchasing and results in 1,000 fewer tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.

Traffic on Jasper Avenue between 100 Street and 102 Street will switch to the north side Saturday, April 13, 2013 to accommodate streetscape work on the south side of Jasper Avenue. One lane of traffic will be maintained in each direction until south sidewalk and road surface work is completed this fall.

“We’re pleased to be able start the second season of work on the south side,” says Paul Szczepanski, Director of Arterial Roads for Transportation Services. “Thanks to drivers, pedestrians and especially local businesses for their patience during north side construction.”

The first phase of the two-year Central LRT Station rehabilitation and Jasper Avenue streetscape project began on the north side in April 2012. Work was carried over through the winter due to a combination of site conditions at the Central LRT Station and poor weather.

Work on the north side of Jasper Avenue is wrapping up and sidewalks have reopened to pedestrians as they have been completed. 

The south side of Jasper Avenue between 100 Street and 102 Street will be closed to traffic during construction.

Work on the south side in 2013 includes: leakage repairs to Central LRT Station; total road reconstruction with roadway repair and resurfacing; a wider sidewalk; the removal of existing utility kiosks; and new trees, benches, poster kiosks, traffic signals and decorative/pedestrian streetlights.

“Despite the inconvenience of construction, we believe Edmontonians will find it worth the wait,” says Szczepanski.

The project team anticipates that work on the south side will be completed by the end of October, as scheduled.

During a weekend of winter roadway work on collector/bus routes, City by-law enforcement officers handed out over 1400 tickets and towed 85 vehicles that were in violation of the seasonal parking ban restrictions.

“The number of citations came as something of a surprise,” said Bob Dunford, Director of Roadway Maintenance. “Over the last several parking bans, it appeared that compliance rates were improving. It is essential that our crews have unimpeded access to those routes to do the best job possible, and having that number of vehicles still parked on the road certainly affected our ability to do so.”

In order to address significant accumulated snowfall over the past several weeks, Roadway Maintenance crews will begin blading neighbourhood roads at midnight on Tuesday March 19, 2013. 

Although there will not be a parking ban, citizens are asked to move their vehicles off-street wherever possible so that crews can blade from curb to curb. Crews will blade snow on neighbourhood roads down to a level snow pack of less than 5cm.

“Trucks used for neighbourhood cycles only lower their blades down far enough to even out the ruts and ridges that have formed and do not plow down to bare pavement,” said Dunford. “By creating a level snowpack, we are able to minimize the size of the windrows left behind.”

Windrows will not be removed from neighbourhoods – with the exception of windrows in front of driveways, which crews will reduce to a maximum of 30cm in height. 

As a result of windrows, on-street parking may be reduced. Residents are encouraged to park their vehicles in garages, on driveways and parking pads whenever possible. Citizens who wish to continue to use curbside parking are responsible for clearing the windrow before they can do so. Drivers are also asked to not park outside the windrow as this will narrow the road and reduce accessibility for vehicles and emergency responders.

Citizens can find out when blading crews will be in their neighbourhoods by visiting edmonton.ca/snowremoval and viewing either the alphabetical listing, or using the interactive map.

Property owners are reminded that they are responsible for clearing all snow and ice from the city sidewalks adjoining their property within 48 hours after a snowfall has ended. Snow and ice are a hazard, particularly for seniors and people with disabilities.

The City of Edmonton greatly appreciates the cooperation of Edmontonians during this season’s winter roadway maintenance activities. 

This investment will allow the City of Edmonton to enhance its public transit services. The new line and supporting facility will help reduce traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions, increase transit ridership, deliver direct economic benefits by providing residents with a lower-cost transportation alternative, and create jobs both during and after construction.

“Our Government is proud to support municipal investments in infrastructure projects that harness public and private sector expertise to deliver vital local services, like light rail transit, that promote long-term economic growth,” said Minister Menzies. 

“This project means Edmontonians will save money on commuting and have more time to spend with their families rather than in traffic,” said Minister Ambrose. “It also means high-quality jobs for people in Edmonton and throughout the surrounding region.”

“The City of Edmonton welcomes this important funding announcement by the federal government,” said Mayor Stephen Mandel. “The Southeast to West LRT is a key part of our transportation infrastructure. It will connect communities in Mill Woods and southeast Edmonton to the central core and is essential to our plans for building a better, more accessible city.”

Through a competitive bidding process, a private sector proponent will be selected to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the new light rail transit project over a 30-year period. By entering into a long-term P3 agreement, the City will transfer significant risks over the whole lifecycle of the project to the private sector, allowing the City of Edmonton to realize greater value for taxpayers’ dollars. Edmonton will retain ownership of the infrastructure, will be the fare setter and revenue collector, and will ensure safety and security standards are maintained.

The project includes the construction of the southeast leg of the Southeast to West LRT (Valley Line), running 13.2 kilometres from Mill Woods to downtown Edmonton. The line is an urban style low-floor LRT that will integrate directly into existing communities, with an initial projected daily ridership of 28,000 passengers, increasing to 49,000 by 2044. The project also includes the construction of a signature bridge spanning the North Saskatchewan River, a 350-metre tunnel, and an operations and maintenance facility for the new line.

PPP Canada Inc. was established by the Government of Canada to improve the delivery of public infrastructure by achieving better value, timeliness and accountability to taxpayers, through public-private partnerships. PPP Canada acts as a leading source on P3 matters through knowledge development and sharing. In addition, the Corporation provides expertise and advice in assessing and executing P3 opportunities at the federal level as well as leveraging greater value for money from federal investments in provincial, territorial, municipal and First Nations infrastructure through the P3 Canada Fund.

The P3 Canada Fund is a merit-based program with the objective of supporting P3 infrastructure projects that achieve value for Canadians, develop the Canadian P3 market and generate significant public benefits.

For information on PPP Canada and the Government of Canada’s P3 Canada Fund investments visit p3canada.ca.
For information on Edmonton’s Southeast to West LRT, please visit edmonton.ca/setowestlrt.

In 2011, there were over 700 collisions on Edmonton streets that involved motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians. The City of Edmonton wants to make streets safer for vulnerable road users.

The City’s Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) is holding its second annual Run Walk Ride 4 Traffic Safety in conjunction with Edmonton’s International Conference on Urban Traffic Safety. The event is part of OTS’s ongoing campaign to raise awareness about the importance of cars and trucks sharing the streets with people on foot or on bike.

“The Run Walk Ride 4 Traffic Safety helps us to get citizens thinking about everyone who uses Edmonton roads,” said Councillor Karen Leibovici. “Improving the level of traffic safety in our city requires a commitment on the part of all road users.”

“Traffic safety is a shared responsibility,” said Councillor Kim Krushell. “The impacts of collisions can be costly on many levels – financially, socially and personally. It is up to everyone using the roads to exercise caution and due diligence so we can reduce the number of highly preventable collisions in Edmonton.”

The Run Walk Ride 4 Traffic Safety will take place on Saturday April 27, 2013 at Concordia University College. It will include a 5 km walk/run, a 10 km run and a 10 km fun family cycling event. There will be exhibits, activities for young children, food and prizes.  Participants of all ages are encouraged to get involved and take traffic safety to the streets!

Registration, location and fee information can be found at the event website via the Running Room. Participants can earn a free hat by registering before the March 28, 2013 early bird deadline.

Pledges collected by participants in the Run Walk Ride 4 Traffic Safety go towards the Memorial and Traffic Safety Fund, administered by the Edmonton Community Foundation. The fund represents a chance for family and friends to invest in a lasting legacy for victims of traffic collisions. Donations will fund research and various community traffic safety initiatives focused on reducing collisions, injuries and fatalities. 

The Run Walk Ride 4 Traffic Safety is part of Edmonton’s fifth annual International Conference on Urban Traffic Safety.

“We continually enhance the service provided by Edmonton Transit,” said Bob Boutilier, General Manager of Transportation Services. “As the city grows, more Edmontonians are choosing public transit to go to work or school or wherever they need to travel.”

Improvements in 2012 included enhanced service in off-peak hours on busy bus routes and the addition of new routes, including cross-town bus service between Mill Woods and West Edmonton Mall.

LRT boardings were up by 1.8% in 2012 and have more than doubled since 2003.

“Getting more people to travel actively and sustainably is one of the City’s highest priorities,” said Boutilier. “Transit is a reliable, efficient and environmentally-friendly transportation option. We definitely see a positive change with more people taking the bus and the LRT.”

ETS’ marketing programs also contributed to increase the popularity of transit. ETS@Work grew by nearly 20% in 2012, and the U-Pass helped consolidate transit as a preferred option for students.

Visit www.takeets.com for more information about marketing initiatives that contribute to ETS success. Visit Transforming Edmonton for additional details on transit ridership, and the online gallery for photos.

The City of Edmonton is co-winner with some of its engineering consultants of awards recognizing outstanding innovation in engineering projects and the way they are financed.

On Saturday January 26, 2013, at the Edmonton Expo Centre, the Consulting Engineers of Alberta presented the City and its project consultants with Showcase Awards for building the 23rd Avenue/Gateway Boulevard Interchange and the W12 Sewer Tunnel, and also recognized a risk-modeling system that enhances the City’s financing strategy for infrastructure projects.

The 23rd Avenue/Gateway Boulevard Interchange, which improved traffic flow through one of Edmonton’s busiest intersections, finished on schedule and under budget in October 2011.

“The new interchange is designed to better serve daily commuters, airport traffic and local business traffic, as well as transport truck, bike and pedestrian traffic,” says City Roads Design & Construction Director, Byron Nicholson. “We are honoured to be recognized for completion of this interchange, which eliminated the highest collision site in Edmonton by removing a dangerous left-hand turn movement.”

The W12 Sewer Tunnel, which runs under the North Saskatchewan River and connects all of north Edmonton to the Goldbar Wastewater Treatment Plant, was also recognized. 

“The W12 Tunnel was a technically challenging project with significant risks both during and after construction,” says City Drainage Services Branch Manager Chris Ward.  "We're pleased that the work of SMA Consulting on a project that enhances drainage services for all of north Edmonton was recognized with this award."

SMA Consulting also shared a third Showcase Award with the City for helping develop a Risk-based Infrastructure Management System (RIMS) that assists City managers in deciding how much money to invest in infrastructure, how to save costs long-term, and how to keep assets in good operating condition.

“We are delighted that RIMS is being recognized for a project that has such significant impact,” says Bradley Leeman, the City’s Acting Director of Infrastructure and Funding Strategy. “This tool is a valuable asset that helps make the most out of every dollar the City invests in infrastructure.”

Building the 23rd Avenue/Gateway Blvd Interchange cost $253.7-million. The W12 Sewer Tunnel cost $45.5-million, and developing RIMS cost $500,000.