Ottawa spending $31M more on Edmonton train overpass project

The federal government is helping cover the cost of the train overpass project at 50 Street and 82nd Avenue in east Edmonton.

Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced an additional $30.8 million for the project Tuesday morning. The new funding is in addition to the $39 million announced in 2018 for the same project.

“The stronger our supply chains are, the strong our economy can be,” Alghabra said from the construction site. “And the better our quality of life can become. That’s why ensuring supply chains are resilient, fluid, and secure are a top priority for our government.”

The plan is to put in a new train overpass north of the Sherwood Park Freeway; widen 50 Street to six lanes (from four); rebuild the intersection; and put in new sidewalks along 50 Street.

The project was initially supposed to cost $145 million, according to city staff last year, but inflation pressures raised the total cost to $180. Ottawa committed to helping cover that inflated cost.

Trains stop traffic dozens of times per day

The east Edmonton train overpass project is expected to stop thousands of people from having to wait while trains roll by. The city estimates 35,000 vehicles use the 50 Street corridor each day. The train crosses the intersection more than 60 times a day, stopping traffic in its tracks.

“The train operations is 365, seven days a week, 24 hours a day,” said Ryan Telplitsky, the supervisor of transportation delivery for the City of Edmonton. “Every day can be different, but in studies we did, it can be four to five hours a day (blocking the intersection), you got up to 60 or 80 stops a day as well.

“The reason it happens is because you have a yard right here. The yard movement is going in and out. There might only be four or five trains coming in or out, but because the yard is here, that is what’s blocking the traffic over and over again, where they shunt and build the trains.”

Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi says he knows first-hand the frustration of waiting at the crossing, having lived in the southeast part of the city for the last 40 years.

“Commuting to work downtown, there have been many times I have been stuck by the train crossing,” said the mayor. “You might be there for five minutes, you might be there for 15 minutes, you might be there for 45 minutes. I think the project will reduce the unpredictability.”

Train overpass project at 50 Street and 82nd Avenue in east Edmonton July 11, 2023. (Laura Krause/CityNews)

Construction ending in 2027

Edmonton deputy city manager Adam Laughlin says the project is still on schedule, with the majority of the construction work projected to be completed in 2026 – with some “carryover work” going into the fall of 2027.

The focus this year, the city says, will be on building the northbound overpass and working on stormwater drainage. Construction will then shift to the southbound overpass.

Laughlin adds Alghabra’s announcement will leave city council with an important decision; the City of Edmonton previously allocated $34.3 million to finish the project, but the new funding from Ottawa changes that.

“It allows us to assess whether we reduce the debt that the city currently has or reallocate the value that is being provided today to other projects,” said Laughlin.