Edmonton Ring Road

Frequently Asked Questions

Environmental
  1. Is hazardous goods transportation safe so close to residential areas especially on sharp curves? What happens if there is a toxic leak?

In the event of a spill, the drainage ditches and storm water ponds will collect and contain any spilled materials and allow clean up crews to deal with these materials. The roadway is being planned to very high geometric standards aimed at keeping risks at a minimum. The curves on this roadway are very generous and certainly not sharp. The separation distances between the roadway and residential areas is substantially greater than along other dangerous goods routes in the City.

  1. Who is responsible for addressing these spills?

Spills on the roadway will be handled jointly by Alberta Environment and Edmonton’s Emergency Response Department as per well established existing practice.
Interchanges
  1. When will the interchange at Stony Plain Road and Anthony Henday Drive be built?

This project is currently outside of our three year construction program.  A functional planning study for this interchange is planned for 2007.
Recreational
  1. How will the proposed trails cross the Anthony Henday Drive and intersecting roads (i.e. 111 Street, 127 Street)?

The multi-use trails will generally extend along residential development. Sidewalks will be built along the roadways crossing Anthony Henday Drive to permit pedestrian access across the corridor.
  1. What kinds of trails are going to be created?

The intention is to develop a trail system that consists of a compacted crushed-stone/gravel surface. This is a standard commonly used in subdivisions, power right-of-ways, etc. It allows the flexibility of maintaining whatever utilities are underground with ease, and at low expense. The proposed material is also a low-maintenance item, which is in the best interest of both the City and the Province.
Sound Levels
  1. Do average noise levels over 24 hours reflect peak noise levels?

Noise levels naturally fluctuate, and peak levels do exceed the 24 hour average values. The 24 hour values were used because the Urban Traffic Noise Policy (of 65 dBA) indicates that the 24 hour values are to be used when determining whether a particular location merits noise attenuation. The 24 hour values also incorporate night-time conditions, which reflect the period of time during which people are most likely to be disturbed by traffic noise.
  1. What are the plans to address sound exceedences along the roadway?

The Province will provide noise attenuation along the corridor in accordance with the City of Edmonton’s Urban Traffic Noise Policy. The City’s Urban Traffic Noise Policy states "Where a freeway or arterial is proposed to be built or upgraded through or adjacent to a residential area, the roadway is to be built to meet a noise level as low as possible below 65 dBA with an objective of achieving 60 dBA". Where traffic noise levels are not expected to exceed 65 dBA, no noise attenuation is required according to the policy. Projections of future noise conducted at eleven sites along the corridor indicate that the 65 dBA value will be exceeded at two of the eleven locations. Further noise level evaluations will be carried out during the design phase of this project to verify if these and other locations merit noise reduction measures. If during the course of these further evaluations the locations are confirmed to exceed the 65 dBA objective, noise attenuation will be provided at these locations. The Province is committed to providing noise attenuation wherever it is needed along Anthony Henday Drive to satisfy the 65 dBA (24 h) objective.