An Edmonton LRT line is poised to receive $480 million from the provincial government after receiving support from the Capital Region Board (CRB).
The downtown-to-NAIT LRT line received near unanimous support from the CRB, which means it will likely receive funding from the provincial Green Trip program. The line is the first part of a broader northwest leg that could extend into St. Albert.
As part of the applications for the provincial program, the government asked all communities within the Edmonton area to clear their projects through the CRB.
The board is still considering more than 30 other projects, totalling more than $6 billion, to create a prioritized list for provincial funding. It will make a final decision at its Nov. 12 meeting.
Edmonton asked Thursday for the board to endorse the LRT line early because it hopes to tender the project this fall, potentially saving millions of dollars.
The CRB’s endorsement passed easily with a 24 to 2 vote.
Edmonton Coun. Don Iveson, said even though the province makes the final decision on Green Trip, the city is confident moving forward now that it has the CRB’s support.
“I think the indications from the province have been very positive, but they really wanted Capital Region Board approval, so I think this was really politically the last hurdle.”
The LRT line is a $725-million project that will extend service from the downtown Churchill station north to the NAIT campus, passing Grant MacEwan University, Kingsway Mall and the Royal Alexandra Hospital.
Iveson told the other board members waiting another year would not only mean delaying its completion, but city estimates suggest it would add $35 million to the cost.
“It just keeps the momentum of the project and that is going to save money and it is going to deliver the project faster.”
The design work on this project is largely complete and the city has made some land purchases, as well as pre-constructing a tunnel under the EPCOR tower downtown.
Based on early design work the city has done, the same line would ultimately be extended to St. Albert.
St. Albert Mayor Nolan Crouse said supporting the initiative makes sense for St. Albert even though it does take a lot of money from the Green Trip program.
“The whole need for the LRT spokes continue to be a priority for the region. Very few in the region are questioning the need for that.”
Iveson said he was really pleased to get such resounding support from the region, because the line will be a benefit to the whole area.
“We see LRT as the backbone of the regional system and so does the CRB.”
