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Some interesting changes to the Terwillegar-Whitemud interchange. Now a dedicated BRT ramp from 53 AV to Terwillegar SB, 2 new bridges for NB Terwillegar to NB Whitemud.
Terwillegar.jpg
 
Wonder if the Ambleside transit centre will be built in time for the Super-express service to South Campus (probably not). Either way it will probably be Edmonton's first Max-like bus corridor, and it's surprising that there isn't more interest in that aspect of the project.
 
Thanks for sharing! I remember the BRT lanes being part of the reason to choose the expressway option versus full freeway, but the potential of BRT in the area didn't get a lot of attention in the news. I personally thing BRT will be a huge boon for the area; Terwillegar is still pretty low-density, but there are enough people to warrant high-quality transit. BRT's low construction cost and ease of integration into existing/conventional transit centres where required will work well. The lower capacity versus LRT should be fine. I really hope this area gets BRT. a positive example of that kind of transit working well in Edmonton could help it be implemented elsewhere as well.
I'm not familiar with the area. would BRT between Leger TC and South Campus be sufficient as a near-term solution? has there been any discussion about that? it would make total sense to get transit using those lanes as soon as they are built, in at least a partial capacity.
 
IanO said:
I am still so perplexed and disappointed with the decision to not extend the Whitemud to the AHD as a full freeway. It is the fastest growing part of our city and deals with significant congestion.
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It is though, unless you are talking about Terwillegar Drive?
 
Yeah, this feels like a bandaid for now, but at the same time, I don't know how anyone can buy a house in the SW and not seriously consider the implications of traffic and commute time. It will be interesting to see how long this helps traffic and at what point does the induced demand theory take over and we end up back at square one with congestion caused by the lights at Bulyea. Maybe it is a ploy to deter further development in this quadrant of the City? Now that BRT is incorporated into the design, I hope that it will encourage people to use transit going forward.

I was told these plans are an ultimate configuration and what gets built depends on funding from higher levels of government, so unfortunately those new northbound bridges to make the Terwillegar merge on the right hand side may not be built at this time. This is dissapointing to me as the current configuration is dangerous and unconventional. All BRT facilities will be built, so that is at least good news.
 
Going back to the topic, once the current spate of construction is done the SW should be pretty much set. Rabbit Hill road is fully twinned, Terwillegar is expanded with BRT service, Henday is also expanded... The only thing left in the area would be to extend the Capital line to Heritage Valley (maybe some transit priority projects on 23 Ave and Ellerslie as well).

For all the overblown complaints about how Terwillegar Drive isn't a freeway, an awful lot of taxpayer money is being dumped in the area.
 
thommyjo said:
This plus the west LRT is going to make travel from the SW to anywhere central a challenge for the next 5 years
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Yup, but people should've expected travel delays out of the SW when they moved there in the first place, given the existing lack of connections to the rest of the city (only the Henday, Whitemud, 23rd Ave, Ellerslie Rd and 41 Avenue provide egress routes to other parts of the city).
 
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