West Edmonton Mall Footbridge: August 2019 Update

While we work on the bigger issue of the bridge replacement, one of the big concerns I had been hearing was the lack of any crossing - even temporary - to access WEM. I have now received confirmation that work on a temporary crossing will be starting quite soon so that people can cross 170th Street at 90th Avenue.

Here is the information from the bulletin that has been sent out to some residents in the nearby community:"

A new pedestrian sidewalk connection will be constructed from the east boulevard of 170 Street at the 90 Avenue intersection that will tie into the existing back alley that is adjacent to 170 Street in the West Meadowlark Park Neighbourhood. The berm will be shaved down in order to accommodate this connection and the existing noise wall will be replaced with staggered 1.8m noise fence in this area. The back alley west of 169 Street will be reconstructed from 88 - 92 Avenue. Street lighting will also be upgraded for a portion of the back alley as well.

Access to businesses and residents will be maintained throughout construction. At least one lane of traffic in each direction will be maintained during construction for all locations listed above unless a small staged total or directional closure is required. ​The back alley will be closed in stages during construction and there will be no access to properties from the alley during this closure. Residents are asked to park along 169 Street during this time. Advance notification will be provided. During the alley closure, garbage/recycle collection will occur from the front street. Please ensure items are placed in a visible location along the front curb or sidewalk on collection day​.

If you have special access requirements, such as DATS, please advise one of the contact persons listed below."

Mr. Ryan Drummond - Project Manager - (780) 496-1105

Mr. Jason Reske - Program Manager - (780) 508-9588

Mr. Bill Kenny - Supervisor - (780) 423-3832

They hope to have construction completed by the end of October so that we don't have to go through another winter without a way to cross 170th Street at this location.

As mentioned above, this will not be the final solution. A full footbridge must still be built and there will be some engagement with affected communities and stakeholders to inform that replacement work. In particular, there needs to extensive engagement with the residents who live closest to the previous footbridge, as they can experience the greatest impact of that foot traffic. We still need to have a replacement bridge in place prior to starting Valley Line West LRT construction so there are deadlines for this project. I will continue to provide updates as I receive them.