The growing responses to Taproot's listening work in the lead up to October's municipal election reveal that many voters are concerned about how the city builds large projects.
Earlier this year, Taproot launched our listening campaign at several in-person and virtual events, and we posted a 2025 election question on our site. We have been gathering responses ever since, and at last count, more than 900 people have provided them. The listening was built around a simple question: "What issues do you care about as you consider who to vote for in the 2025 municipal election, and why?"
At least a dozen people told Taproot they have some form of "construction fatigue," as one resident put it.
"The lack of care over construction impacts and disruption is irresponsible — there are ways to mitigate the disruptive nature of major projects that are well worth the financial cost since the disruption also has a cost that is currently ignored," the respondent said. "The best example is interfering with every route into downtown simultaneously. We can do a lot better than this if council does its job."
Several city projects will cause delays along different routes into downtown in the coming years, with some being built simultaneously despite their close proximity. On the west side of downtown right now, Jasper Avenue and 104 Avenue both have fewer open lanes, all while the Wellington Bridge that carries 102 Avenue over Ramsey Ravine is being torn down and replaced, closing a portion of the avenue for a project that's expected to be finished at the end of 2026. South of downtown, northbound traffic over the Low Level Bridge is being rerouted as that bridge undergoes repairs. To the east, construction will close Dawson Bridge on some weekends to facilitate repairs. The High Level Bridge is expected to be closed for three years starting in 2027, after the other bridge construction is complete. The city said those travelling from the suburbs to downtown could face an extra 15 to 30 minutes on their commute due to the bridge closures and other construction projects.
Cheryll Watson, chairwoman of the Downtown Revitalization Coalition, said earlier this year that the "plan is short-sighted and risks undoing years of effort to revitalize our city's core."
Construction of the Valley Line West LRT is underway in Wîhkwêntôwin. The project, and coinciding lane or bridge closures on other west-end routes, have led to frustration from several business groups and residents. (City of Edmonton)
One respondent said construction is mentally exhausting for residents and fiscally exhausting for local small businesses. "Focus on a few projects at a time and get them done within a timely manner rather than spreading funding thin on dozens of projects that take decades to finish. We do want road improvements, we do want LRT expansion, but not at the current price we have to pay to put up with how slow these changes are happening," the respondent said.
Administration designed an accelerated construction timeline for the Valley Line West LRT that creates more significant traffic restrictions but reduces the time restrictions are in place. Marigold Infrastructure Partners worked with the city on an "ambitious" plan that's supposed to see the majority of roadwork in key areas be completed in 2025, so that construction could focus on track work and systems infrastructure in 2026. One change under the plan was to fully close the intersection of 124 Street NW and Stony Plain Road NW.
While this has resulted in a more significant disruption to motorists, businesses, residents, and pedestrians, it also allowed that portion of roadwork to be completed in seven weeks rather than requiring partial closures over 48 weeks across two construction seasons. Overall, the accelerated plan is supposed to reduce the total time movement is restricted at key intersections by more than half, the city noted in a report.
The Valley Line West LRT is scheduled to be completed in 2028. The report did not detail whether this accelerated plan would allow the project to be done sooner.
Some respondents said the city doesn't help businesses that potentially lose customers due to construction. "While I know construction needs to happen, there NEEDS to be more safeguards for local businesses impacted by construction projects," said one person.
The city provides businesses adjacent to infrastructure projects with some support, like putting up signs when construction cuts off the usual access routes. The current city council has discussed creating a compensation program for businesses a few times. Coun. Andrew Knack, who is also running for mayor, proposed a $250,000 grant program for businesses along the route of the Valley Line West LRT. Administration didn't support the proposed program because it's impossible to tell if a business's challenges are due to construction or other factors. A motion to have the program included in the budget failed 5-8, with Councillors Knack, Sarah Hamilton, Aaron Paquette, Jennifer Rice, and Anne Stevenson voting in favour.
Business groups downtown and in the Stony Plain Road area have expressed frustration with how construction has gone, and worry about how long projects will actually take to complete. The southeast leg of the Valley Line LRT opened roughly three years later than planned, with delays caused by a mysterious concrete mass found in the river, dozens of cracked pillars, and faulty wires.
Once open, more than 150 doors were removed along the Valley Line Southeast, with one city official telling Taproot they were unsure the doors were a good design choice for the system.