Yellowhead Trail - 156 Street to St. Albert Trail

Construction Update - Winter 2024

Construction on the 156 Street to St. Albert Trail segment of the Yellowhead Trail Freeway Conversion is complete.

Drivers will experience:

Three continuous lanes along Yellowhead Trail in both directions with an increased speed limit of 80 km/hr (from the previous 70 km/hr limit).
New, dedicated, one-way service roads in the eastbound and westbound directions for improved access to St Albert Trail, 142 Street, 149 Street, 156 Street and businesses and adjacent communities.
The removal of signalized intersections at 142 Street and 149 Street.

Additional upgrades include new sidewalk connections along both sides of Yellowhead Trail, new LED streetlighting, a new concrete sound wall installed along the Dovercourt community, and landscaping, including improved underground drainage to enhance road conditions during heavy rainfall.

Overhead signs will continue to be installed periodically until early 2025. Please follow construction signs and speed limits to ensure safety of the workers present.

Project Area from 156 Street to St. Albert Trail

Check out this map showing the work that was completed.

Build Phase

2024

Road construction will resume in spring 2024. Underground drainage infrastructure is substantially complete with final installations remaining which will start in spring 2024.

Landscaping will commence in spring 2024. The construction of the retaining walls and the dry pond is complete. Construction of the project is planned to be complete by fall 2024.

2023

The underground drainage infrastructure installation and construction of the retaining walls will continued through the winter. Road work resumed in spring 2023. The dry pond was completed at the end of 2023.

2022

Construction continued in 2022 and the new Dovercourt Noise Wall was completed at the end of 2022.

2021

The first year of construction began in summer 2021.

2021 construction activities:

Road work on eastbound Yellowhead Trail, from 156 Street to 149 Street and 142 Street to St. Albert Trail, including retaining walls
Road work on the eastbound on-ramp at 156 Street
Removal of signals at 142 Street and Yellowhead Trail
Building demolition at the northwest corner of 142 Street and Yellowhead Trail
Utility work between 156 Street to St. Albert Trail

2020

Design: we completed the engineering design for this portion of Yellowhead Trail

2015

Final concept plan

2012-2014

Development and refinement of options

156 Street Project History

Construction Update - Spring 2024

Construction started in 2021 and is ongoing between 156 Street to St. Albert Trail. The following work is in progress:

Road work will resume in spring 2024 and includes the installation of concrete traffic barriers, street lighting, overhead signs and final top lift paving
Landscaping will commence in spring 2024
Utility work will resume in spring 2024 and includes final underground drainage installations

The following work is complete:

Construction of all retaining walls: under the St. Albert Trail bridge, along the St. Albert Trail ramp, and under the 156 Street bridge
Construction of storm pond at the southwest corner of Yellowhead Trail and 142 Street
Dovercourt noise wall replacement

Traffic accommodations are currently in place:

New Eastbound Service Road, accessed from eastbound Yellowhead Trail, west of 149 Street, provides access south of Yellowhead Trail to 149 Street, 142 Street, St Albert Trail and south businesses.
New Westbound Service Road, accessed from westbound Yellowhead Trail, at 143 Street and 147 Street, provides access north of Yellowhead Trail to 143 Street, 149 Street, 156 Street and north businesses.
Two lanes of traffic along Yellowhead Trail will be open during peak hours. There will be times overnight that only 1 lane in each direction will be open on Yellowhead Trail. The speed limit may be reduced to 40km/hour in construction zones and we ask the public to be mindful of signs and construction crews as they travel through the area.

Traffic Safety Measures

Recent construction activities along Yellowhead Trail have led to Dovercourt and Sherbrooke residents expressing concerns about speeding and shortcutting within the neighbourhood.

To address these concerns, the City is implementing a comprehensive traffic management plan.

2023

Public notice July 2023

2024

Public notice October 2024
Evaluation summary report (coming soon)

Construction Update - Fall 2023

Construction started in 2021 and is ongoing between 156 Street to St. Albert Trail.

Construction of all retaining walls, under the St. Albert Trail bridge, along the St. Albert Trail ramp, and under 156 Street bridge is complete
Utility work between 156 Street to St. Albert Trail will be complete by end of 2023
Construction of storm pond at the southwest corner of Yellowhead Trail and 142 Street is complete
Dovercourt noise wall replacement is complete

Three lanes of traffic along Yellowhead Trail will be open during peak hours. There will be times overnight that only 1 lane in each direction will be open on Yellowhead Trail. The speed limit may be reduced to 40km/hour in construction zones and we ask the public to be mindful of signs and construction crews as they travel through the area.

January 2022 - 123 Avenue, 124 Avenue and 128 Avenue

Online Pre-construction Information - June 2021

Thank you to everyone who joined the Online Pre-construction Information Session on June 3, 2021. The project team presented the construction staging schedule and answered questions from event participants.

Construction Bulletin
Presentation

Fall 2020 Engagement

Your input matters.

The City invited you to explore the design and share your feedback through Engaged Edmonton in October 2020. Your valuable feedback was used to advise the preliminary design for the project due to start construction in 2021.

As part of the public engagement process, we are committed to reporting back on how your input was collected and used.

What We Heard Report

Reference Materials:
Project Update - October 2020
Westbound Yellowhead Trail changes
Eastbound Yellowhead Trail changes

Videos:
Welcome Video: Project Overview
Travelling Eastbound
Travelling Westbound
Crossing Yellowhead Trail Southbound
Crossing Yellowhead Trail Northbound
Dovercourt and Sherbrooke Residents

October 2015 - Final Concept Plan

The final concept plan was presented to the Transportation Committee on October 7, 2015.

January 2015 - Project Update

The City focused on refining the preferred concept plan for Yellowhead Trail at 149 Street. The preferred concept includes one-way service roads parallel to Yellowhead Trail on the north and south sides. There is no connection proposed for 149 Street across Yellowhead Trail. The City will evaluate the changes that will be required to the surrounding road network to address changes in travel pattern as a result of the proposed plan.

January 2014

The City completed the final stages of a significant public engagement process that resulted in the development and refinement of a preferred option for freeway operation of Yellowhead Trail at 149 Street.

Public Involvement Report
The public engagement process included an Open House in June 2012 with a second open house in September 2013, 11 key stakeholder meetings, discussions with internal and external stakeholders such as CN Rail and utility companies, information bulletins to the community and the establishment of a Stakeholder Input Group (SIG).

This group of area stakeholders worked with City planners to develop ideas for converting Yellowhead Trail at 149 Street to a freeway operation, while retaining reasonable access to the adjacent businesses and the Dovercourt community. The stakeholder group helped to identify and develop:

Issues and constraints
Evaluation criteria and their relative weighting
Interchange and preferred access arrangements

Over the course of several workshops, the stakeholders helped to evaluate and reduce the total number of alternatives.

After significant development and evaluation of alternatives, the City arrived at a recommended configuration for the area based on input received from internal and external stakeholders, as well as Transportation Committee.

This preferred option includes one-way service roads parallel to Yellowhead Trail on the north and south sides. There is no connection proposed for 149 Street across Yellowhead Trail.

September 2013 - Public Meeting

On Tuesday September 17, the City of Edmonton hosted a public meeting to provide information on the recommended concept for free flow operation of Yellowhead Trail at 149 Street.

During the Open House, the public were invited to view the presentation boards and maps, ask questions of our project staff and pick-up project information material.

July 2013 – Transportation Committee

Two freeway options were presented to City Council on July 10, 2013; Freeway Strategy A which includes a ¾ diamond, grade separated interchange and Freeway Strategy B that which includes one-way service roads with right-in/right-out access north and south of Yellowhead Trail as well as improvements to parallel routes on 128 Avenue, 123 Avenue and 124 Avenue.

Presentation to the Transportation Committee of Council
Strategy Option A
Strategy Option B (Preferred Strategy)
Council Report

October 2012 – Project Update

An information bulletin was mailed out to community groups and businesses adjacent to the intersection . The bulletin provided an update on feedback received during the June 2012 Open House and requested comments or suggestions from the public.

June 2012 - Public Open House

A public Open House was held in June 2012 to introduce the project and provide background information. Attendees had the opportunity to learn more about the project and provide comments. Thanks to residents and community stakeholders who attended the June 13, 2012 meeting on the 149 Street Interchange at Yellowhead Trail.

Project Fact Sheet

Open House Overview Presentation – June 2012

Email	yellowhead@edmonton.ca
Phone	311

yellowhead@edmonton.ca

Phone

311

Extreme Weather Activation Ended

Parking Ban Declared (Major Roads & Bus Routes)