The unexpected closure of Groat Road in Edmonton has left many St. Albertans budgeting extra time for their daily commute.
The road will remain closed from 107 Avenue to River Valley Road for about three weeks while crews inspect the damage to the four girders that buckled on the 102 Avenue bridge project, according to the City of Edmonton.
While St. Albert officials can’t do anything about that, they’re busy making changes to try to ensure they’re mitigating the impact of the road closure where they can.
Transit Director Bob McDonald said yesterday the road closure has had a direct impact on St. Albert Transit operations, with routes 203 and 204 to the university being delayed about 15 minutes because of a detour. From Westmount, the routes will now use 107 Avenue to 116 Street, then onto Victoria Park Road to reconnect with Groat Road.
“What we’re trying to do today is arrange with some extra buses and drivers to make sure the buses leaving St. Albert in the morning leave on schedule,” he said. “They’ll likely get to the university 15 minutes later.”
The delays won’t likely have a significant impact on connections with Edmonton Transit routes because those routes run relatively frequently, and every effort is being made to ensure routes 203 and 204 leave according to the existing schedule for morning, midday and afternoon peaks.
The budget impact of adding buses and drivers isn’t yet clear, because the city is still trying to determine how many extra buses or drivers may be required.
“We’ll have a better idea by the end of the week on that,” MacDonald said.
Mayor Nolan Crouse said at this point, the potential impact on the budget isn’t clear but is regardless not the biggest concern.
“Right now, we’re not bothering with that question because we have an obligation to meet the public service first,” he said.
From a political standpoint, he said the road closure would not have a significant impact the process to look at the feasibility of Edmonton and St. Albert operating a joint transit system. He and Coun. Wes Brodhead met with City of Edmonton representatives about a month ago to gauge interest in a joint venture, and he said he expects to see a report come before city council sometime in June or July.
“This might reinforce its importance, but it’s not going to get used as a reason,” he said. “We have a lot of other reasons.”
Likewise, Crouse said the road closure’s impact on commuters would reinforce something he’s been advocating for since he was first elected in 2007: increasing the employment opportunities within St. Albert itself, which have the multiple benefits of reducing the need to commute, reducing wear and tear on infrastructure and increasing the property tax base.
“That’s been an objective and we’ve been slowly whittling away at it,” he said. “That’s ultimately going to end up with less commuters in and out of Edmonton.”
For more information about the transit detours, visit www.stalbert.ca or phone 780-418-6060.
