Yellowhead Trail Update: Progress in Ward Anirniq
Yellowhead Trail Update: Progress in Ward Anirniq
The Yellowhead Trail Program Update
The Yellowhead Trail Freeway Conversion is a multi-year project with the final goal of turning this road into a free-flowing freeway designed to improve safety, reliability, and travel times for tens of thousands of people everyday. This conversion is a massive undertaking, being delivered through a series of projects along the corridor, including intersection removals, bridge placements, and changes to support nearby neighbourhoods and businesses.
Two major projects overlap and intersect through Ward Anirniq. With the St. Albert Trail to 97 Street section as the largest of the two; amounting to $600M of the total $1.1B budget; it makes up the largest part of the active work.
156 Street to St. Albert Trail
This project was completed in the Fall of 2024.
St. Albert Trail to 97 Street
Construction of the St. Albert Trail to 97 Street project is near the halfway milestone with
many major activities well underway. The 127st interchange is expected to be complete and in operation by the end of 2027. Here are some stats that highlight the scope of the work:
- On an average day, there are approximately 200-250 workers active on the project.
- 210 000 m3 of recycled concrete has been incorporated into the work, and almost half of that is recycled material from the old municipal airport and other Yellowhead Projects.
- 9,000 m of storm and sanitary sewer infrastructure installed to-date
Sherbrooke Neighbourhood Sound Wall:
I have heard concerns from residents in Sherbrooke on the loss of the noise wall and timeline for the replacement. A majority of the existing sound wall between St. Albert Trail and 127 Street has been removed.
Installation of pile foundations for the new wall started in December 2025 and the structure will be built in summer 2026.
Prince Charles Traffic Planning:
Another aspect of this project is the access management for the area around 124th street and the Prince Charles community. Based on this work, the access design is changing from what was shown in earlier concept plans, with the access to Yellowhead at 124 Street continuing to remain closed.
The City explored different options to adjust how traffic moves in and out of the neighbourhood with this being the final design:
Why the Need for this Change:
One of the most important findings from the analysis was related to emergency access, particularly for the Edmonton Police Service K-9 Unit. Any design that altered their immediate road access or relied on a rail crossing introduced a real concern to emergency response times- something that would directly put public safety at risk.
Beyond access, the rail crossing itself creates a long-term safety and cost challenge, including snow and ice clearing and increased maintenance. Supporting this design and service road would also require an additional $6M in capital costs and ongoing operational costs.
What the New Plan Achieves:
- Maintains access to local facilities and businesses and the proper operation of these facilities
- Reduces the risk of emergency services being delayed by rail traffic
- It keeps the access to Yellowhead closed, mitigating shortcutting through the neighbourhood
- Provides cost savings in both the operational and capital budgets
- And improves the ways people move through the neighbourhood easily and safely
Advocating for Community Benefit:
I advocated on behalf of the community to the project team and the City Manager to ensure this project becomes an opportunity to address long-standing traffic safety concerns. The City has committed to implementing traffic calming measures that the community has been asking for.
I’ll keep working to ensure Prince Charles residents remain informed as this project moves forward and that their voices are integral to the traffic calming measures implemented going forward.
Erin.
