Stony Plain Road and 124th Street to completely close for Valley Line West LRT construction

The Valley Line West LRT construction is set to ramp up starting April 2. As part of this, the intersection at Stony Plain Road and 124th Street will be completely closed to traffic to allow crews to complete the necessary work.

This move follows the approval of the construction plan by Edmonton City Council in February, aimed at accelerating LRT development.

The company responsible for the Valley Line West LRT, Marigold Infrastructure Partners, told the media on Friday that crews will be working long hours to complete the project as quickly as possible.

“We’ve secured subcontractors who are committed to longer hours to make this happen. It will be two 10-hour shifts within the day,” said Jonathan Cox, Construction Manager at Marigold Infrastructure Partners.

While some locals are accepting of the closure, seeing it as short-term pain for long-term gain, others are frustrated.

“It’s part of the process. I’m okay with it because they’re building something better,” said one local resident.

However, for business owners like Jackie Truong, owner of Allora Hair Boutique, the lack of communication from the city is a significant concern. Truong says she hasn’t received any direct notice about the closure.

“We haven’t gotten any notice from the city about this. Isn’t that something that should have happened? I suppose they’ll come around April 20th,” said Truong.

The City of Edmonton has acknowledged the frustration and stated that they will be putting up warning signs in the coming days.

“We have detailed communication plans that we’ve already started rolling out to provide the public with the appropriate information in a timely manner,” said Po Sun, Acting Director of the Valley Line West in Edmonton.

This intersection closure won’t be the only one causing headaches for Edmonton commuters. Throughout the spring and summer construction season, other intersections along the Valley Line West route — including Stony Plain Road and 156th Street, as well as 87 Avenue and Meadowlark Road — will see partial closures to facilitate ongoing work.

Additionally, a large section of 104th Avenue downtown, between 105th and 121st Streets, will be reduced to one lane in each direction for the entire summer construction season.

Marigold Infrastructure Partners says they are confident that the eight-week closure of Stony Plain Road and 124th Street will be completed on time. However, there is one factor that could slow progress.

“The biggest risk is the rain,” said Cox. “We’ve adjusted our planning to limit our exposure to rain. With a small, exposed site and people always on hand, we’re better able to control it with pumping and covering.”

For business owners like Truong, the construction is another headache for both her and her clients. Truong notes that customers are already seeking alternative routes to avoid the traffic caused by the construction.

“Once they’ve done it once, they know, ‘I’m not taking 104th, I’m going to try a back road or come up from 107th,’ but what happens is, that traffic jams up because everyone’s on it,” Truong explained.

Marigold Infrastructure Partners remains confident that construction will be completed by 2028, though testing and other factors may delay the opening of the line for passengers.