Work to fix the Whitemud Drive overpass at Anthony Henday Drive in east Edmonton will not be completed this fall as originally planned, with the completion date now delayed into 2025.
In June 2023, a semi hauling an excavator slammed into the underside of the overpass. Police said the driver was heading north, attempting to exit the Henday at the Whitemud ramp, when the semi hit the overpass, causing extensive damage.
The excavator hit several girders, breaking away concrete and exposing rebar.
Traffic at the site has been impacted ever since, due to lane closures both along Whitemud Drive eastbound over the Henday into Strathcona County and along the offramp.
The closures cause major traffic backups, particularly during rush hour.
“Since that bridge got hit, it’s made a big difference in how the traffic flow is and especially coming from the city down the Whitemud and across the Whitemud extension. It backs up for a long time,” said Kim Palichuk, who drives through the area to and from work five days a week.
“It backs up down Whitemud, plus the Henday backs up pretty good too.
“It takes an extra half hour sometimes.”
Millan Mondair drives through the area five to six times per week. She said merging from two lanes to one heading east on the Whitemud can be scary at times.
“Honestly, horrible,” Mondair said Friday. “I’m trying to merge in, and no one lets you in.
“Whenever I’m coming in from 17th Street trying to merge onto the Whitemud, there’s just so many cars. There’s no space to go in … and it’s scary.”
In an update in March of this year, the province said work to repair the bridge would begin this summer with the construction anticipated to be finished by the fall.
However, the completion date has now been pushed back.
“Repairs are expected to be completed by the end of February 2025,” said a spokesperson with Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors.
The province did not provide a reason for the delay.
“It’s frustrating,” Palichuk said. “It would have been nice to have that done as quickly as possible, especially because it’s a high-traffic area regularly, let alone during rush hour.”
Both Palichuk and Mondair are frustrated to hear about the delays, particularly since it means driving through the barriers for another winter.
“That’s going to be tough,” Mondair said. “(It’s) much worse in the winter. Much worse because black ice, roads are in terrible, conditions are terrible. If it’s a blizzard, you can’t see.
“Much more dangerous in the winter.”
The Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors spokesperson said work to repair the overpass is still expected to begin this summer.
“A tender for repairs to the structure has closed, and the contract will be awarded to allow work to begin this summer. During the repairs, closures are anticipated on the ramp and on the bridge itself.”
The province said further details on traffic impacts and the cost of the repairs will be available once the contract has been awarded.
A 22-year-old man who was driving the semi was charged with five offences under the Traffic Safety Act, the Highway Development and Protection Act and the Cargo Securement Standard.
The charges against the man, whose name was not released, include having a heavy vehicle not secured against moving, operating an over-dimensional vehicle on a highway contrary to the permit and interfering with or damaging a highway.
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