Turn, turn, turn: Stony Plain Road construction funnelling drivers to narrow cul-de-sac | CBC News
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Some residents of Edmonton’s Westmount neighbourhood are concerned about traffic congestion west of 123rd Street due to road closures on Stony Plain Road.
Orange pylons and blockades starting at 124th Street are leading drivers to head west on Stony Plain Road, even though there’s a blockade ahead.
When reaching the concrete barriers just west of 128th Street, drivers discover there’s no access to 129th Street.
Traffic signs then funnel drivers into Woodbend Place, a narrow cul-de-sac with 10 houses south of Stony Plain Road and west of 128th Street.
Woodbend Place is essentially a dead end, and drivers have to make a U-turn to get out. A steady flow of cars can be seen throughout the day, winding in and out of the narrow cul-de-sac.
James Spurr, who lives on 129th Street, says better signage at 124th Street would help reroute some traffic away, but in-car navigation tools still direct drivers to go west on Stony Plain Road.
“Once you get past 124th Street, unless you live in those few blocks, there is no need to continue down because the [Stony Plain Road] bridge is out,” Spurr said.
“There is signage that says take alternate routes. But if you’re following your car, and it says to go straight, then you can continue going straight, and then you get stuck.”
The road closure is related to the Valley Line West LRT project, as Marigold Infrastructure Partners builds the 14-kilometre route from downtown to Lewis Farms.
According to the city’s infrastructure services, Marigold sent out a construction notice on Oct. 5 about drainage work that would be starting on Stony Plain Road between 123rd and 129th streets.
Marigold put up signs and concrete barriers to divert traffic onto Woodbend Place starting Oct. 13 because new drainage work was making it unsafe for vehicles to make U-turns on Stony Plain Road.
Prior to this change, drivers were able to proceed to 129th Street and do a U-turn on Stony Plain Road.
In a statement to CBC News on Thursday, the city said it will evaluate whether adding more signs will be of help.
“In order to dissuade traffic, we have installed additional wayfinding signage at 124th Street, however, it appears some motorists aren’t seeing that signage,” the statement said. “The city hasn’t been receiving complaints from residents in that area but will continue to monitor it.”
WATCH | Three vehicles turning around in Woodbend Place:
Featured VideoThis short CBC Edmonton video shows drivers of three white vehicles trying to get out of Woodbend Place and back on to Stony Plain Road.
Anne Stevenson, councillor for Ward O-day’min, said her office hasn’t directly heard from residents concerned about the traffic on Stony Plain Road going into the cul-de-sac at Woodbend Place.
“I do appreciate some local residents are being impacted by this,” Stevenson said.
“It’s really important for Edmontonians to be aware of construction traffic signage that is displayed. It’s really important to take the time to look and to understand what it’s saying to avoid these types of last minute turnarounds that are needed,” she said.
Stony Plain Road will be closed until November 2024 for the removal and replacement of the bridge over Groat Road.
The sewage work around Woodbend Place is expected to last until the spring.
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