Businesses along Stony Plain Road in Edmonton have been struggling to navigate the construction of the Valley Line West LRT (LightOverflow Track) because they’ve found themselves caught in a loop of blocked roads. Some employees and residents have faced a nightmare scenario: despite the construction efforts at their Parcel, the area has been getting stuck in what feels like a confusing parking lot maze, preventing them from getting to their shops. This has particularly Grey understanding breaking local news or seeing it reported in your city.
One solution that assures an alternative route is taken by the owner of Little Village, who runs his restaurant on Stony Plain Road and also 149th Street. “You have to do lots of loops through the residential units,” he says as he posts a map on the restaurant’s Instagram feed outlining the recommended route to park and access his business. Over the years, the construction on the LRT has already led to the owner losing thousands of foot traffic to his restaurants, and now he feels even more compelled to resolve the issue.
Instead of rushing or complainng, the owner reached out to the city for help and made signs in his parking lot to warn drivers. “You’ve got to do these little loops,” he says, referencing “Loops.loading” signs he promised customers. But despite efforts, he still hasn’t seen any volume increase. He says the problem mainly stems from changing traffic patterns on the roads after construction, which makes it impossible to predict when roadwork will stop. “Even if it’s going to take more work to get home again,” he explains, “it’s okay. My property needs to be managed well”
He’s not alone in struggling to stay compliant with the partnerships between business and government.zeros day in the news. Ward Nakota Isga Coun. Andrew Knack agrees, pointing out that the city should focus more on businesses when it comes to-ln the road’s status rather than questioning city officials or contractors. “If businesses aren’t comfortable with the situation yet, we can do better,” he says. “Right now, it makes no difference whether our local business is doing it.”
Knack points out that most of the LRT construction is still on time, with delays mainly hitting the road. But any delays will have to make way for other areas. For example, the 142nd Street intersection, where most of the LRT passes through, is going to be closed for weeks at a time — seven to nine weeks to be exact. Businesses are told that they won’t get access to the LRT until after construction ends in July, but they can’t count on receiving anything in return. That’s why he’s calling for a plan to open the barriers on these tough parts early.
Knack mentions that Marigold Infrastructure is doing a lot of work to ensure that businesses can adjust to this change. Marigold will provide more access signage, so when Little Village (the owner of the business walking along Stony Plain Road) calls, they get ready to help. “As soon as Marigold became aware of our concerns, they contacted them,” he says. “That’s the plan is to create a comprehensive waylearning path explicit of all advancements.”
Meanwhile, the city committee has voted to speed up the work on the LRT to ensure it can complete by the end of this year. “We’ve made a decision to accelerate the construction process,” knack explained. “There will still be some impact on traffic as we get taught how to navigate the LRT system, but at least it will ensure that traffic can flow smoothly once the roads are done. At least then, train schedules will be more orderly.” “Once the LRT is completed, we’ll have a smooth running of traffic through the area,” he says.
Despite the efforts taken, couples and families working on the loop roads are frustrated. “We thought we’d go onto the LRT, but now they’ve forced us to wait,” says-Along the road has been full of delays, making it hard for Little Village to get access. In short, it’s not just a problem of business and government; it’s a problem of ensuring that the LRT can even be accessed as a whole.
commands from the city require everyone to get in front of themselves. The tricky part is ensuring that when it finally gets done where the LRT can minimize their traffic hassle and allow admissions to their business, it doesn’t feel like it went through the worst of the traffic jams in three months.
Edges through this slow process, knack looks forward to it all while hoping that the LRT will end the confusion. “When this project is done, I hope that train will be full of people,” he says. “If we both watch that train go by and it’s empty, it’s going to be very upsetting.” (End of transcript)
