Capital Line - South

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Phase 1 of the Capital Line South extension began early construction works in 2022 and will continue into 2023. The competitive process to select a contractor to design and build the extension also launched in 2022, and we anticipate selecting the contractor by late 2023/early 2024. Major LRT construction is expected to start in 2024.

Key Updates - May 2023

Early works construction at 111 Street and 23 Avenue

Early works construction at 111 Street and 23 Avenue.

Twin Brooks Station - Capital Line South Extension Public Survey

Between December 14, 2022 and January 22, 2023, the City of Edmonton gathered public feedback and provided education through a survey about the Twin Brooks station that is approved as part of Phase 1 of the Capital Line South LRT extension project. The survey closed with a total of 1,788 respondents and over 2,600 comments were received in the open-text questions. The City has compiled the feedback from the survey and has composed it into a summarized report.

Construction at 23 Avenue and 111 Street Intersection

In 2023, EllisDon, the City’s contractor for early works construction, will be excavating and installing shafts at the 23 Avenue and 111 Street intersection to prepare for future tunnelling work for the underpass. As part of preparing the site, utility companies will be relocating underground utility lines at this intersection. The work is anticipated to take up to 18 months, and will require lane closures and pedestrian detours.

Please refer to the Current Activities section below for up to date information on work at the intersection.

May
Construction Notice - Borehole testing - May 8, 2023

April
Construction Notice - Overnight Noise and Median Removal - April 26, 2023

March
Excavation work at the intersection of 23 Avenue and 111 Street - March 10, 2023

EPCOR

As part of the Capital Line South LRT Extension Project, EPCOR is responsible for relocating all the power, water and drainage utilities to avoid potential conflicts with the future Capital Line South LRT extension infrastructure. Please go to EPCORs project site for information on their work.

EPCOR Power, Drainage and Water - overview of all EPCOR utility relocations

EPCOR Drainage - utility relocations on 111 Street from 12 to south of 23 Avenue - starting early June

EPCOR Power - utility relocations on 111 Street from 19 to 25 Avenue - starting late-May

EPCOR Power - specific utility relocations at 9 Avenue and 111 Street - starting mid-May

EPCOR Power - specific utility relocations at 12 Avenue and 111 Street - started early April

EPCOR Power - utility relocations for the Capital Line South LRT extension - early April

Naming Committee Approves Municipal Facility Names

The LRT project team is happy to share that the following facility names have been approved by the naming committee as part of the Capital Line South extension from Century Park to Ellerslie Road.

LRT Stations

Twin Brooks Station
Heritage Valley North Station

LRT Bridge

Blackmud Creek LRT Bridge

LRT Operation and Maintenance Facility

Llew Lawrence Operations and Maintenance Facility

Procurement Process to Select the Design-Build Contractor

In June 2022, a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was issued to identify and shortlist qualified bidders to design and build this LRT extension. Two bidders were shortlisted. The Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued to the two shortlisted bidders on March 31, 2023, with the selection of the Design-Build contractor to occur in late 2023/early 2024.

December 2022 Noise Study

The noise study was updated in December 2022 to address residents’ concerns that the 2018 results were outdated. Noise monitoring was completed in the backyards of select property owners along the alignment. The updated results indicate that average noise levels, with projected traffic volumes representative of the year 2050, were between 52-62 dBA. These noise results are largely consistent with the previous 2018 study, and remain below the 65 dBA threshold in the City’s Urban Traffic Noise Policy. If you are interested in reading the complete 2022 noise study, please email LRTprojects@edmonton.ca or 780-496-4874.

Early Works Construction Activities

Tree removals/Site clearing

Contracted crews will remove, relocate and prune trees along the LRT route. We have worked hard to reduce impacts to trees along the line. We are protecting and working around existing trees when we can, and will relocate or plant new trees where necessary.

Utility Relocations

Many utilities have lines underground that will need to be moved in order to build the LRT. We’re currently working with the utility companies to plan how and when these relocations will occur. The work will begin this year and will be ongoing. At times, certain utility relocations will have impacts like road closures. We will provide detailed information about any specific impacts with as much notice as possible.

EPCOR

EPCOR crews are completing a number of utility relocation projects along the Capital Line South LRT route. Learn more about these projects by visiting EPCOR.

Hydrovacing

By using water and pressure, hydrovacing provides an efficient way to allow the team to check where any existing underground lines are. It is an important tool for preparing for utility relocations and finalizing project design. Hydrovacing will be occurring on an ongoing basis. It can be very loud, so we will provide notice for specific locations as they are confirmed.

Pump Station & Storage Tank on 23 Ave and 111 Street

The design for the LRT includes an underpass that will dip below 23 Avenue. To ensure that water does not pool on the tracks, we are building a pump station and storage tank that will collect rainfall and pump it out to the storm drain. Work on the pump station and storage tank will begin this year so that construction of the LRT will move faster later on.

Preparing for Construction

Find out more about how construction may impact your business or community.

About The Project

Build Phase

The extension will be completed in two phases. The first will extend the line from Century Park to Ellerslie Road and Phase 2 will extend from Ellerslie Road to Allard/Desrochers. Concept design for Phase 2 has been advanced.

Capital Line South Phase 1 (Century Park to Ellerslie Road) is a 4.5 km long, high floor LRT and includes:

An underpass at 23 Avenue
Bridges crossing Blackmud Creek and Anthony Henday Drive
A new operations and maintenance facility south of Anthony Henday Drive
A neighbourhood LRT station at Twin Brooks (which will be smaller in size compared to a multi-modal transit station like Century Park)
A multi-modal LRT station connecting to the Heritage Valley Park & Ride at Ellerslie Road