Ring road route sparks anger in St. Albert
Planned high-traffic roadway just 50 metres from residential neighbourhood
Archie McLean, With files from Susan Ruttan and Jason
The Edmonton Journal
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
The proposed northern leg of Anthony Henday Drive comes too close to their homes, say some residents in southern St. Albert.
CREDIT: Aerial photo Ryan Jackson, The Journal
The proposed northern leg of Anthony Henday Drive comes too close to their homes, say some residents in southern St. Albert.
ST. ALBERT - Residents in three St. Albert subdivisions are hoping motorists on the new northern leg of Anthony Henday Drive won't be whizzing past their backyards.
Funding for the 21-kilometre freeway extension was confirmed Tuesday by Premier Ed Stelmach at his first Capital Ex pancake breakfast. It will be paid for using a public-private partnership (P3).
But the current route runs as close as 50 metres from the Akinsdale, Grandin and Heritage Lakes neighbourhoods in southern St. Albert, which has left some residents there worried.
"I'm not impressed," said Cam Jewell, who moved with his family into Akinsdale about a year and a half ago. "What I'd like to see is at least some kind of greenbelt between us and the road."
The province's preferred route is further south from Jewell's neighbourhood. But that would drive the road through Newman Theological College, which is run by the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton.
The province has held a series of open houses and Infrastructure Minister Luke Oullette said Tuesday they have been negotiating with the archdiocese.
"We think that we're real close to a deal, so
I don't want to screw that up," he said.
A spokeswoman for the archdiocese confirmed that negotiations are ongoing, but wouldn't provide any more information.
St. Albert's deputy mayor called the announcement good news but not great news.
"Good news in the sense that the north leg of the Anthony Henday is badly needed for our residents and our community," said Neil Korotash. "Not great news because there's still some uncertainty around what's going to happen as far as the alignment and its impact on our residents."
The northern leg of the road will trace a semi-circle from Yellowhead Trail where the current southwest leg ends, to Manning Drive. It will be free-flow with no stoplights, eight interchanges and five flyovers.
"It's something the city of Edmonton needs desperately to improve the traffic flow and also support the growing economy," Stelmach said.
Stelmach wouldn't give a cost for the project, saying he doesn't want to influence the bid process.
Under the P3 system, a private company will design, build and operate the highway for 30 years. During that time, the government will make payments on the road. The government says it will save millions of dollars through the arrangement and has an option to back out if needed. It has issued a request for qualifications, from which it will draw a shortlist of potential contractors to complete the project.
But some critics question the economy of P3s.
"In our view, P3s are a scam," said NDP Leader Brian Mason. "They are designed to transfer taxpayers' money to the corporate friends of the provincial government."
Mason said the company could cut corners on the work and wondered why the government would want to relinquish control of its own project.
Liberal finance critic Rick Miller said he is glad the project is going ahead, but he echoed some of Mason's concerns. He also said the province should be entering into such long-term debt very carefully.
"I wonder if this alternate debt will be sustainable down the road, given the projected decrease in oil and gas revenues," he said.
Still, local politicians are happy the project is finally going ahead, no matter how it is paid for. Mayor Stephen Mandel said it's great the province sees the importance of completing the project.
"The premier has made some nice announcements about Edmonton," he told reporters, noting Stelmach's recent pledge to cover skyrocketing costs of the $900-million Edmonton Clinic to be built across from the University Hospital.
"My understanding is there are other announcements to come."
Coun. Karen Leibovici, who represents the west-end Ward 1, is happy to hear the new stretch of Henday will be free-flow. The southwest leg of the ring road has three stops, including one at Stony Plain Road, and they've become a real headache, she said.
The government announced Tuesday it has hired a consultant to plan an interchange at Henday and Stony Plain Road. When the southwest leg of Henday was built, they decided to delay building some overpasses until later, Leibovici said.
"It's a lot more expensive to do it now than if they'd done it at the same time."
While Jewell and his neighbours panned the placement of the road, some Castle Downs residents hailed the announcement, predicting it will help cut travel times to the international airport or West Edmonton Mall in half.
It could also mark the end of heavy traffic and bumpy rides along narrow, pothole-infested thoroughfares, said community organizer Lynnette Thompson.
"We could sell tickets for 167th Avenue," she quipped.
The government is hoping to start construction as early as 2008 with an eye to completing the project by the fall of 2011.
amclean@thejournal.canwest.com
© The Edmonton Journal 2007
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