EDMONTON — The Alberta government has announced it will chip in $1 billion for Edmonton’s Valley Line West LRT expansion.
The funding will cover 40 per cent the project’s projected cost of $2.6 billion.
“The Valley Line West project is about connecting Albertans from across this region to work, recreation, school and home,” said Premier Rachel Notley in a press release. “As with our support for the Southeast Valley Line LRT, this latest grant will also create much-needed local jobs, support the quality of life in the City of Edmonton and help to protect our environment now and in the future.”
Officials anticipate the route expansion will move 60,000 residents between downtown and Lewis Estates every day. The province is also investing in the Metro Line expansion from NAIT to the new Blatchford community, which will serve thousands more commuters.
The completed route will link suburban communities and the city’s core together, running from Mill Woods through downtown to the west end, with connections to LRT and bus routes covering the entire city. The 14 stops include the West Edmonton Mall, the Misericordia Hospital and the Brewery District.
“We are planning and building a city for more than a million people, and with commute times getting longer each year, now is a critical time in Edmonton’s growth to ensure we have a robust transit network in place,” said Don Iveson, Edmonton’s mayor. “Today’s announcement by the province helps us get one step closer to that goal, and we look forward to continuing to work with them on these types of critical infrastructure investments.”
Construction of the Valley Line West project is expected to support 20,000 direct and indirect jobs in Alberta with an additional 5,300 jobs in the rest of Canada during construction, operations and maintenance phases.
The route is projected to be complete in 2026.
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