The first step in the development of a new east-west arterial road in the city is slated to begin next year.
Fowler Way is expected to connect with Villenueve Road and Ray Gibbon Drive, and will run northeast to join Neil Ross Road.
The need for a new arterial road in the northwest quadrant of the city was identified in 2008, City of St. Albert transportation manager Dean Schick said.
“In terms of addressing the growth demands, it will provide direct access in the area,” Schick said, adding the road will allow for direct access to new developments like Jensen Lakes.
Another advantage of the road is that it will help drivers passing through the city.
“It will give a good viable alternative potentially for commuters to bypass the city,” Schick said.
The arterial will connect with Ray Gibbon Drive where that road currently terminates, but Ray Gibbon Drive will also eventually extend even further north of the city and connect with Highway 2.
Fowler Way will remain a city arterial road for local traffic.
The Fowler Way project is just one of two projects funded through offsite levies. It will receive $250,000 in 2019 for concept planning, now that city councillors have officially signed off on the 2019 budget
Offsite levy funding is money the city front-ends to build services in new areas of the city. Developers then pay the city back once they begin to develop the surrounding areas.
St. Albert Mayor Cathy Heron said all of the money spent on the two offsite levy projects will be paid back in full by developers eventually.
The mayor said the road is needed in the north of the city to accommodate St. Albert's expanding population.
“We just need those to alleviate residential traffic,” Heron said earlier this month.
Part of Fowler Way will run through an area currently owned by Sturgeon County, but which will likely be annexed.
The project has $3.9 million earmarked in 2021 for land costs. Construction isn’t slated to take place until 2025, with estimated costs for the year hitting $32.3 million.
Council approves each year’s budget on an annual basis, so the slated construction date for the road is tentative at this point.
Schick said once Fowler Way is in place, it will help alleviate some of the traffic on St. Albert Trail and help assist development in the north of the city.
“In terms of addressing congestion or providing a greater improvement in terms of network capacity, a new road will assist greatly,” Schick said.
