102 Avenue Corridor Review for the City of Edmonton

Light Rail Transit (LRT) expansion is one of the City of Edmonton’s top priorities for new infrastructure investment. In 2009, the City adopted a long-term LRT Network Plan that defines the future size, scale and operation of Edmonton’s LRT system. Construction has now started on a new LRT route from Downtown to Southeast Edmonton - the Valley Line LRT. By 2020, this new low-floor LRT line will be complete, including a section through Edmonton's Downtown Core along 102 Avenue. The LRT alignment through Downtown Edmonton will run along 102 Avenue. 102 Avenue is an important east-west corridor and serves an important multi-modal function for LRT, cyclists, and pedestrians. The purpose of this study was to review the previously approved plans and designs for the 102 Avenue corridor to identify safety and operational issues for all modes of transportation and to develop mitigation measures and alternative concepts to address the identified issues. During the preliminary design process and review for the Valley Line LRT, the City engaged peer and external design specialists to conduct a Peer Review of the original previously approved concept. Through this Peer Review, several operational and safety concerns were identified based on the designs. The Peer Review recommended that bicycle facilities be removed from the corridor and relocated to 102A/103 Avenue (a nearby east-west route). The recommendation to remove a mode of travel from 102 Avenue did not align with the overall intent of the concept plan endorsed by Council, and did not align with the City’s Bicycle Transportation Plan, which identifies 102 Avenue as an important future bicycle route through the City’s Downtown Core. Urban Systems was retained to complete an independent review of the 102 Avenue corridor to further evaluate safety and operational characteristics and to identify recommended mitigation measures and/or alternate configurations to address issues and improve safety and operations for all road users while maintaining bicycle facilities on 102 Avenue if feasible. This project was nominated for the TAC 2015 Road Safety Award.