95th Avenue Update

I’ve received some messages from some residents about some work planned for 95th Avenue and I thought I would take a few moments to provide some details on what is being proposed.

In 2023, 95th Avenue between 163rd Street and 189th Street will be undergoing significant reconstruction work or repaving. If you have driven on 95th Avenue, you know that most of that road is in terrible condition.

As most of that road is close to end of life or needs significant repairs, 95th Avenue will be undergoing significant repairs. The stretch from 163rd to 170th Street and from 182nd Street to 189th Street will be fully reconstructed. This the same type of work as we did on 178th Street a few years ago. 170th Street to 178th Street will be repaved as the base of the road does not need to be reconstructed.

I’m guessing that no one has any concerns with that road work taking place because I have received many complaints from residents about the condition of the road. As someone that drives on it regularly, I share those same concerns.

I have heard some concerns from residents as I believe the initial correspondence that was sent out did not clearly identify that the primary body of work on 95th Avenue is a road reconstruction project. One of the letters I saw seemed to suggest that the City of Edmonton is looking to add a multi-use trail as the primary reason for any work on 95th Avenue.

As we did on 178th Street a few years ago, when we reconstructed the road, we added in a multi-use trail along the west side of 178th Street. It didn’t require removal of traffic lanes and it now provides residents with a new option to move. For everything west of 170th Street to 189th Street, it will look just like 178th Street. Instead of a sidewalk along the south side of 95th Avenue, there will now be a multi-use trail. There is no impact to the vehicle lanes at all.

For the corridor between 165th and 170th Street, the draft plan has suggested there might be an impact, not to the vehicle lanes, but to the service roads on both sides. The most important thing to note is that no final decisions have been made about what will happen for this stretch. While it makes perfect sense to ensure there is a multi-use trail like we will have west of 170th Street, I have concerns with the idea that we would need to remove the service roads when the right of way of the vehicle lanes are as wide as they are.

Although I no longer represent West Meadowlark, I have been speaking with Councillor Sarah Hamilton and she is well aware of the concerns of the residents on the south side of 95th Avenue. For those on the Glenwood side of 95th Avenue, the notice that was provided suggested there were two options being considered and one of those options includes the retention of the service road and one includes the removal of the service road. From what I’ve heard, residents want to keep that service road.

Assuming the service roads aren’t removed, this should be a very straightforward project. We need to fix the road and while we are doing it, we should add in a multi-use trail like we do on many other roads. The original notice caused a lot of uncertainty but I hope this post provides more clarity on what is actually happening.