Older Edmonton neighbourhoods overhauled
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By the end of this year, the city will have spent a whopping $201 million overhauling 74 aging Edmonton neighbourhoods.
The investment is part of council's long-term Building Great Neighbourhoods initiative and as construction season wraps up for the year, officials are celebrating the completion of work in Parkallen and West Jasper Place.
"Some of the work we did included upgrading roads, sidewalks and curbs and adding sidewalk links that promote active transportation," said Adam Laughlin, director for the Neighbourhood Renewal program. "We worked to make sure that older, mature neighbourhoods remain great places to live, work and play."
The Building Great Neighbourhoods initiative brings together the city's Neighbourhood Renewal program, Drainage Neighbourhood Renewal and the Great Neighbourhoods Capital Program.
Of the more than $200 million the city invested this year, $153 million of that was spent on neighbourhood renewal, $32 million on drainage renewal and the Great Neighbourhoods program spent $16 million in 12 different neighbourhoods.
"We've seen some significant changes," said Laughlin.
Next on the repair list are: Canora, Dovercourt, King Edward Park, Terrace Heights, Windsor Park and Woodcroft.
Those areas are either currently under construction, or will be by next year.
Crews also finished work on the overlay in eight neighbourhoods, renewed 18 km of collector roads and upgraded alley lights and poles in 33 neighbourhoods.
Back in 2010, the city identified 174 of the 300 areas in Edmonton as neighbourhoods in need of repair.
Neighbourhood makeovers are prioritized based on the conditions of the area's sidewalks, streets and drains.
According to Laughlin, a tax levy passed in 2008 and earmarked for neighbourhood renewal has been helping speed those repairs along.
"We've been able to make such good progress as council has made a strong commitment to the program over the last three years," said Laughlin, adding officials are hoping to duplicate this year's efforts in 2013.
"Of course, we can't control council budgets beyond what's approved for the next three years."
He says they'll also focus on interim maintenance going forward, in the hopes that regular monitoring and subsequent upgrading can help extend the shelf-life of the city's older areas.
angelique.rodrigues@sunmedia.ca
