An additional phase of the St. Albert Trail expansion, and reconstruction of Villeneuve Road are two major projects St. Albert city councillors are eyeing for next year’s budget.
The city released its draft 2023 budget on Oct. 24, which includes a proposed 4.6-per-cent tax increase. In terms of capital growth, council will this month consider 16 projects totalling $50 million.Council members will pose questions of administration about the budget on Nov. 3 and 7, with deliberation beginning Nov. 29.
Third phase of St. Albert Trail expansion
Construction to widen St. Albert Trail from a four-lane to a six-lane divided roadway has been ongoing since 2020.
However, while the previously approved borrowing bylaw for the total project was initially capped at $26 million, the first two phases have depleted that amount.
Phase one included the section north of Boudreau Road to north of Coal Mine Road, and phase two focuses on north of Coal Mine Road to north of Everitt Drive.
The updated project charter in the 2023 proposed budget pinpoints $24.2 million in funding needed for the third phase of the project, which spans from north of Everitt Drive North to north of Neil Ross Road/Future Fowler Way.
The city is planning to fund this project through debt, meaning another borrowing bylaw will have to come before council for approval.
According to the draft budget, the city anticipates 80 per cent of the third phase will be cost-recoverable from developers.
Developers are responsible for paying for all large infrastructure projects that directly benefit their developments. However, the city will have to front end the cost until development happens, meaning the city might not see the money return until the far future.
In an interview, Coun. Sheena Hughes noted that initially the budget for the first three phases was included within the $26 million borrowing bylaw, and expressed concerns that the project cost has grown so substantially.
"It's difficult to figure out how we came so far off from the estimate," Hughes said.
Hughes currently has two unanswered budget information requests regarding details for the St. Albert trail project. Once prepared, administration's answers to these requests will be publicly available on the city's website.
While the city anticipates completion of the third phase within three years, administration recommends deferring the fourth phase until 2030, when traffic demands in the area become higher.
The fourth phase will continue the expansion up to north of Ernest Boulevard. According to the city’s 10-year plan, the fourth phase will cost an additional $24 million.
Villeneuve Road Rebuild
Also in the draft 2023 budget is $17 million to rebuild Villeneuve Road. The project charter notes the roadway has never been redesigned since its use as a rural road, and therefore still requires features such as sidewalks and trails.
Recent development of communities in Jensen Lakes and North Ridge have bumped up the road in priority, administration said in the charter.
Construction is ongoing, with the first phase (from the west side of St. Albert Trail to west of the Dennison Drive intersection) anticipated for completion in 2023. The second phase, which will take the rebuild west of Nouveau Drive, is set for completion in 2025.
Additional phases are not currently accounted for in the project charter.
According to the city’s cost-sharing model, developers will return 35 per cent of the project costs at the point of development.
Fowler Way
The draft budget also includes $4.4 million in 2023 to move forward on constructing Fowler Way, a future roadway which will run directly through the city-owned Badger Lands, located in the northwest above Villeneuve Road and west of Hogan Road.
In 2009, the city predicted a need for a major roadway in the northwest to connect future development with the city’s wider road network. Later in 2018, the city conducted conceptual design and a study to align the roadway.
The funds budgeted for in 2023 will go toward purchasing the rights to land where the city wants to build the road.
The city previously planned it would begin building Fowler Way in 2025, but timelines have been pushed back to coincide with the completion of the Ray Gibbon Drive twinning. The city is now looking to begin construction on Fowler Way in 2028, and is predicting $54 million will be needed in that year to move forward on the project.
Transportation Master Plan update
The city is also looking to use $800,000 to update its transportation master plan (TMP). The TMP guides the city in current and future transportation needs, with the former 2016 plan outlining the vision for St. Albert’s transportation network up until 2042.
According to the capital charter for the plan, an update will help align the plan with other updated high-level planning documents, such as the Municipal Development Plan (MDP) which was approved in 2020. The MDP outlines policies intended to guide the city as it grows to a population of 100,000.
Other capital projects
In addition to road construction projects, the city is also looking to budget $337,1000 for the second phase of Millennium Park’s design (building on design completed in 2019), and $687,800 for additional Red Willow Trail system connections in the Oakmont neighbourhood.
The city has also proposed putting capital dollars towards several pieces of snow-clearing equipment, such as a sidewalk machine with a plow ($175,000), and a grader ($590,000).
The additional equipment will help maintain the additional sidewalks, roads, and trails the city has taken on in the past decade.
According to the draft budget, the city has increased its trail and sidewalk network by 50 kilometres since 2011, bringing the total length of sidewalks and trails it must maintain to 200 kilometres.
Additionally, through annexation, the city is now responsible for an extra 11 kilometres of gravelled roads and 7.5 kilometres of paved roads.
Residents and businesses are invited to visit conversation.stalbert.ca to give feedback on the proposed budget until Nov. 10.
