City banking on province to help fund Terwillegar Drive upgrades

Edmonton city council is banking on the province'shelp for funding to turn congested Terwillegar Drive into an expressway, a project council approved in December 2018.

At a meeting Tuesday, council passed a motion calling on the mayor to "urgently advocate to the provincial minister of transportation and the premier" for grant money.

In December, the city applied for $24 million in funding from the Alberta Community Transit Fund.

The fundhas a total of $215 million to give to municipalities that want to expand transit systems, get more people to take public transit or increase green transportation.

• Terwillegar Expressway gets green light from Edmonton council
• City report brings forward new option to ease congestion on Terwillegar Drive

Coun. Tim Cartmell, who has been pushing for the project since he was elected for Ward 9 in October 2017, said the city needs to know how much money it will get from the province.

"We need to get this road designed," Cartmell told CBC News Wednesday. "And then we need to start construction."

In December, council agreed to assume more than $112 million in debt to pay for the project, which will expand Terwillegar into four-lanes in each direction.

Cartmellsaid he wants to see a contractor chosen by early next year.

"Hiring a contractor is knowing how much money you have to spend, so it is critical to the timing of this critical project."

He said he hopesthe provincial grant will cover the cost of the first phase of the corridor, from Whitemud to Anthony Henday Drive.

Designated bus lanes

Council also clarified that the Terwillegar expressway will include dedicated bus lanes.

Mayor Don Iveson said council is urging the province to consider the city eligible for the fundingbecause an express bus route would alleviate traffic congestion.

"The dedicated bus lanes component of this is all about improving transit service to the southeast and out into the region," he said."We really want to encourage them to take a close look at that, and hopefully maybe we can get something done here before the election."

Cartmell said it's clear from community meetings that people want the expressway project to include designated bus lanes and bike lanes.

"This was not just cars, this was cars and transit and active transportation, there was wholehearted support for all of that as a scheme," he said.

"So the community is counting on this corridor being built, and they're counting on that transit component, that active transportation component, being built as part of it."

A spokesperson for the province confirmed the city had applied to the Alberta Community Transit Fund and the application was currently under review. The city's application was seeking $24 million from the province through the transit fund.