Since Stephen Gibson moved into south Edmonton’s Chappelle neighbourhood more than a decade ago, housing has mushroomed in the area. But he says road infrastructure hasn’t kept up.
Add to that a construction season that is now in full swing, and Gibson says the time he needs to commute to work has tripled.
“If you’re leaving at 7:30 a.m. or 7 a.m., [you’re] waiting about 45 minutes in just our neighbourhood before you get to a main artery,” he told CBC News on Friday.
“It feels like the city forgets about our neighbourhood.”
Gibson is one of many frustrated Edmontonians as city officials are warning of another busy summer construction season with more than 200 projects underway.
At a news conference on Friday, Mayor Andrew Knack said 60 projects were completed last year and the city is once again on track to do the same, including major projects like the rehabilitation of both the Wellington and Dawson bridges.
“We also have the accelerated roadwork program that allows us to make more significant progress than we’ve made in the past,” Knack said.
In November, the city announced plans to use the accelerated roadwork approach more in the future as it has been shown to result in work wrapping up more quickly.
But Knack said he knows how frustrating construction can be for commuters.
“While we can’t forget that these short-term challenges will reap long-lasting benefits, we also want to acknowledge that there will always be that time where folks were asking for folks’ patience,” Knack told reporters.
The city has also introduced a weekly public service announcement on social media with an up-to-date traffic disruptions map so commuters can plan their trips accordingly.