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Bridge repairs to slow traffic on the Trail

Commuters along St. Albert Trail should expect traffic delays beginning later this month as the city undertakes two major bridge rehabilitations.

Commuters along St. Albert Trail should expect traffic delays beginning later this month as the city undertakes two major bridge rehabilitations.

Construction on the Sturgeon River Bridge and Sir Winston Churchill Avenue overpass will begin June 22, projects the city’s director of engineering Todd Wyman said are overdue.

“This is the first major rehabilitation that’s taken [place] on those two bridges in recent history, so it’s probably overdue,” said Wyman.

Bridge decks, sides, parapets and joints will all be repaired to keep both bridges in working order for vehicle traffic. The road that stretches between both bridges will also be resurfaced as a part of the project.

Although the bridges aren’t likely to fall down anytime soon, said Wyman, years of St. Albert’s harsh climate requires the city to do regular maintenance and the occasional major update.

He said the project would be the last major repairs to vehicular bridges in St. Albert for some time, after repairs to the Boudreau Street and Perron Street bridges were completed a few years ago.

“After these two, from a vehicular bridge perspective, we’re done,” Wyman said. “The next part of the program is to then come back and look at some of our pedestrian bridges.”

This summer’s major bridge project will cost $2.5 million to complete and may impede the ability of some commuters to get home quickly.

The city has already warned public transit users that the southbound bus stop on St. Albert Trail near St. Anne Street will be temporarily removed, and users are advised to find alternate pick up locations.

But Wyman said the city would do everything in its power to mitigate traffic congestion in the area.

“We want to try and keep at least two lanes open at all times, so there’s going to be some traffic delays,” he said.

Traffic along St. Albert Trail will be reduced to one lane in each direction during off-peak hours, but Wyman is still unsure as to whether or not construction will continue at night.

“Within the next few weeks we should have a total [traffic] strategy to ensure that we have the best traffic that we can,” Wyman said, adding that the city still encourages commuters to use alternative routes where they can.

But St. Albert’s main drag isn’t the only road to undergo a facelift this season.

Residents may have already noticed familiar orange construction signs on Hebert and Boudreau Roads where crews are busy repairing curbs and resurfacing roads.

The city has budgeted $3.75 million to continue its arterial and local asphalt overlay programs that will repair sections of 27 different roads this summer.

A map of the affected areas can be downloaded from the city’s website.

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