METROPOLITAN EDMONTON TRANSPORTATION STUDY

VOLUME 2: PLAN AND PROGRAM

CONDUCTED BY THE EDMONTON DISTRICT PLANNING

COMMISSION AND MEMBER COMMUNITIES IN CO-OPERAnON
WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF THE PROVINCE OF ALIERTA
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I METROPOLITAN EDMONTON TRANSPORTATION STUDY

I VOLUME 2: PLAN AND PROGRAM

DECEMBER,19&3

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CONDUCTED BY THE EDMONTON DISTRICT PLANNING
I COMMISSION AND MEMBER COMMUNITIES IN CO-OPERATION
WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF THE PROVINCE OF ALBERTA

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 M ETS ORGANIZATION
METROPOLITAN TRAFFIC COMMITTEE
F. , . MITCHELL (chairman), City of Edmouton
J. LES BODIE, City of Eamon/on
M. WOJTAS, M.D. 0/ Leduc
J. M. EVJEN, M.D. of Stony PllIiu
C. W. MOYER, County of Stmthco na
S. M. WA LKER, County of StllrgeOll
M. 1. BLAIN, Town of Devoll
C. J. HENN IG, TOWIi of Fort SaskatchewlIli
D. H . BARNES, TOllm of Jos!,er P{nce
E. SCH RAD ER, 'fown 01
Leduc
W. J. VENESS, Town 0 St. Albert
S. J. COM LSAHOW, 'f ollm of StOIlY I'll/ill
D. D . KUCH INSKI, Delmrtment of llighways
F. MARLYN, Ex-offiCio Member

TECHNICAL COMMITTEE
F. MARLYN (chairman), Executive D irector, Ellmon/OII District P/mUliug Commission
W. E. GILLES PIE (sccretary), City Roatl D6sign Engineer, City of Edmon/OIl
B. M. HUFFMAN, City Tralfic Engineer, City of Edmonto n
J. D. A. MACDONA LD, City Engineer, City of Edmontol!
D. L. MACDONAL D, Sliperilltsnlient, E{imontoll Transit System
W. C. HARDCASTLE, Ghief Plmmer, City of Edmonton
G. C . HAMILTON, City Gommiss/oller, City of Edmonton
D. B. MENZIES, City Commissioner, City of Edmonton
N. DANT, Director, TaWil and R ~lml Planning, Provi nce of Alberll!
V. E. l\kCUNE, Chief Engineer, lJelXlrtment of Hig/llooy!, Prooince of Alberta
D . D . KUC H INSKI, Traffic Slllely Engineer, Departmenl of I1ig/llooys, Province of Alberta
M. DOLINSKY, Ass/sUmt Gllief CO llstruetlon Engineer, De/}Ilrlment of H ighways, Province of Alberta
H. STEVENS, Cllie! Local/OIl Engineer, Deporlme nt of HigJwxlYs, Province of Alberta
J. R. WRIG HT , SUjlerilltenrient of Parks lIIul Recreation, City of Edmolltoll

CONSULTANTS
STANLEY, G RIMBLE, ROBLIN LTD., Princilml Consultants
L. C. Crimble, Study Director; A. Nawata, Proiect EIIgineer
BARTONASGHMAN ASSOCIATES, INC., Advisory Gonsulltmts on Engineering aml Gity Planning
G. W. Barton, Advisory Director; J. M. Kencipp, Project Engineer
W. C. G ILM AN AND COMPANY, Special Consultants on Public Transportation
ALAN M. VOOR HE ES AND ASSOCIATES, INC., Spec/al CouslI/tants on Travel Simulation Teclmi{/uu
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CONTENTS
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LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES ____ .. ______ .__________ v
Improvement to the Major Arterial Road System _ _ 19
I FOREWORD _ .. ________________

Chapter one
+ _. _____ _
1 1. PeIimeter Roads _____ _
2. New Brid ges and Their Road Connections ______
_ 19
20
3. Railway Grade Separa tion Structmes 21

I SUMMARY OF VOLUME I _ ___

The Va lues of T ransporta tion Planning __ .. ___ .... ___ ..... ___ .___
Study Method _. __ _ _ ____ _____ 3
__ 3
3
4. Im)::ovements to Existing Roads and Intersections _
5. Pal' mg _______
6. Truck Routes _______________
_ ______________________
22
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Land Use. Population and Employment ____ _ __ 4 The Regional Road System ____________ 24
I Travel Q uantities and Characteristics _____________.. 4
Considerations in Plan D evelopment _________ ____ . 4 Chapter fi ve
MASS PASSENGER TRANSPORTATION __ 27
I Chapter two
PLANNING THE FUTURE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM _________
CONSIDERATIONS UNDERLYING THE
+ 7
Some Values of Tran.~it ________
Action on Tra nsit Needed Now _____ _
Freeways E ssential But A Threat _________
___________
_____
________ __
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I PLANNING OF THE RECOMMENDED

1. H icllway System _________ _
2. PuJ)lic Transit System ___ _
_....-_._-_.
__ -
.......
_
7
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Making Transit More Competitive to Auto _____
Nature of Action Requ ired on T ransit __________
Express Bus Sy~tem ___ _
___
_________________________
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Value of MeterIng Freeway Use _______________ __ 30
I Chapter three
CLASSIFICATION OF ROAD TYPES
1. Freeways _____ _
_ _ _ _ .. _
_._. __..__._._.... _ 9
9
Distribution System at City Centre ____________
Staging of Transit D evelopment ______________ .__
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Administration of the T ransit System _._______ _ _______ 33
2. Expressways ______ _ ._ 10
I 3. Maior Arterials __ ...
-----
------ -
_ 10 Chapter six
_ _ .____________ 35
4. Collectors ___ _ - 11 -- COST ESTIMATES

I Chapter four
DESCRIPTION OF THE RECOMMENDED HIGHWAY PLAN _ _ __ 13
Chapter seven
SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS .______ _ 37
General F eatures o f the Plan ___ _____ __ ~ __ 13 Review of the Recommended Highway Plan 37

I Description of F reeways __
The Downtown Freeway Loop _
The North-East Freeway __
_
________
____ ___
____ ~ __ 14
_ 14
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Review of the Recommend ed T ransit Pian
Summary of Cost E stimates
____ 38
______ .________ 38

T he North-W est Freeway ________ _________________ __ 17 Chapter eight

I The MacIGnllon Ravine F reeway
The South Freeway ________________
______
____________
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IMPLEMENTAT ION OF THE PLAN _______________ 39
Staging of Freeway Construction ______ _
The Mill Creek F reeway _________ _______ 18 Program of Action ___________________ _
I Freeway Extensions to the Highway System ___________ 18 Financing the Program ________

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LIST OF FIGURES AND T S
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Figure 1 Typical Freeway Sections ___ facing page 8 F igure 9 MacKinnon Ravine Freeway _ end of volume
I Figure 2 Proposed Urban Road System _ facing page 12 Figure 10 South Freeway _____ ._ _ end of volume

I Figure 3 1980 Traffic Flow Map ___ facing page 16 Figure 11 Mill Creek F reeway ______ end of volume

I Figure 4 Proposed Regional

Road System ______ ..__ end of volume
Figure 12 Elevated Transit Bus Routes ___ end of volume

Figure 13 Subway Transit Bus Routes __ end of volume

I Figure 5 Proposed Route
Improvement Map _____.__ end of volume
Figure 14 Proposed Staging
Freeway System ________ .. _ end of volume
I Figure 6 Downtown Freeway Loop _ _ end of volume
Table 1 1980 Parking Space Requirements
Figure 7 North-East Freeway __.._ ___ end of volume In Central Study Area _________ 23
I Figure 8 North-West Freeway ..__.____._.._ end of volume Table 2 Detailed Cost Estimates ___ end of volwne

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I FOREWORD
, THE METROPOLITAN EDMONTON Transportation Study CHAPTER III CLASSIF ICATJON OF ROAD TYPES
was undertaken in 1961 by the Edmonton District Planning Com-
, mission- with the fin ancial support of the Member Communities,
the City of Edmonton, and the Province of Alberta.
CHAPTER IV DESCRIPTION OF THE
RECOMMENDED HIGHWAY PLA N
Such a transportation study was considered essential to the CHAPTER V MASS PASSENGE R TRANSPORTATION
I development of both the Ceneral Plans for the individual muni-
cipalities and the Regional Plan which is the general framework CHAPTER VI COST ESTIMATES
for the municipal plans.
, V olllme 1: Requirements of the Metropolitan Edmonton Trans-
portation Study was submitted to the Edmonton District Planning
CHAPTER VII SUMMARY OF HECOMMENDATIONS
CHAPTER VIII IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PLAN
Commission by its Consultants in June, 1963.
I Volume 2: Plan and Pmgmlll is developed on the basis of the
requirements outlined in Volume 1 and is presented herein under
It is anticipated that the findings of this rcport will be formally
adopted as the transportation sections of the comprehensive local
the following chapter headings:
, CHAPTER I SUMMARY OF VOLUME I
and regional plans of thc member municipalities.

CHAPTER II PLA NN ING THE FUTURE "Note: Sinoo August, 1963, under the Planning Act. the Edmollton District Planning
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM Commlulon has he!.n d... ignated as the Edmonton Regional Pbnnlng Commlulon.

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r Chapter one
I SUMMARY OF VOLUME ONE
I SINCE THE recommendations for the Plan and Program sub- Basis for private project decision making.
mitted in this report follow out of the basic premises set out in
I Volume 1: Requirements of METS, the Summary of Chapters
which concludes that Volume is reproduced below. Attention is
Basis for governmental project planning.
Basis for capital budgeting by governmental agencies.
directed particularly to the summary of Chapter V of Volume 1.
Contribution to the formulation of sound public policy in
I Chapter I: THE VALUES OF TRANSPORTAnON PLANNING
transportation.

Historically, transportation has been a key influence in the
I location of cities, in determining their form and structure and in
advancing or detelTing their growth. The Metropoutan Edmonton
Transportation Study ( METS ) has been undertaken in response
I to clear and definite needs for a transportation plan based on an
understanding of the complex elements of "the transportation
problem" and its relationship to the Edmonton area s future
growth and development.
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The benefits and values provided by METS inelude the
following;
1 Identification of fu ture right-of-way requirements so they may
be pl'eserved for future needs with savings in cost and with
administrative convenience.
I Basis for design ing today important facilities, such as bridges
with assurance that they will not become prematurely outmoded
Chapter II: STUDY METHOD
The most current study techniques for urban areas are based
on the theory that if the amount and kind of travel produced by
an existing alTangement of land-use is known and correlated, the
area's future travel requirements can be forecast when its future
ammgement of lancl-use--residential, commercial, industrial and
institutional-is projected fo, a specific point in time. This
approach was used in METS.
The analytical process employed by METS consists of a series
of steps, each of which is related to, 0 1' based on, one 01' more
of the preceding steps. It begins w ith the composition of the
existing urban area. The current need for transportation and the
individual characteristics which define that need are related to
this land-use pattern. The process next investigates the size, form,
and composition of the city as it is expected to exist or planned
to exist at a future date. In order to predict future travel require-

I nor overdesigned. ments, the various factors which motivate and channelize trans-

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portation today a re applied to this city of the fu ture. In the light
of the problem as thus generally defined, planning moves ahead
with due consideration not only to the quantities and qualities
of transportation, but also to other fundamental factors inherent
in the comprehensive mban planning process. When this latter
process has created a concept of a transportation network which
appears to satify the comprehensive needs of the community. it
is tested by a final, detailed estimation of the use which will
be made of each network segment. After any necessary refine-
ments, as disclosed in the test are made, the final step consists
of detailing the plan a nd selecting a program.
Cha1Jter Ill: LAND-USE, POPULATION AN D EMPLOYMENT
As a result of thoughtful study, it is concluded that there will
be a 91 percent increase in th e population of Edmonton metro-
politan area by 1980, which will be accompanied by a comparable
increase in employment. [The urban population within a twenty
mile radius of Edmonton is estimated to increase from approxi-
mately 336,000 to 660,000.1 Tn planning for the years ahead, in
the first stages priority is given to development within the C ity
of Edmonton and nearby communities, although other munici-
palities in the Edmonton District wilt with time increasingly feel
the impact of growth, This concentration in and near Edmonton
is to be accompanied by an improvement in the quality of
residential neighborhoods and a marked increase in the density
of population near the centre of Edmonton. The distribution of
employment, as projected, foresees a major focusing of activity
at the City's centre and the accomplishment by 1980 of the
proposed Civic Centre plan,
Cllapter IV : TRAVEL QUANTITIES AND CHARACTERISTICS
Because of the predicted changes in land-use quantities it is
antiCipated that total daily person-trips with in the Metropolitan
Study Area will double from 1961 to 1980, to a total of 1,141,000,
A similar growth is predicted in the Central Study Area with
daily person-trips increasing from 146,400 in 1961 to 325,600 in
1980.
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Several past b'ends, such as increasing auto ownership, fewer
occupants per auto and reduccd rides per capita by transit tend
to intensify the transportation problem, In 1961 there was a
critical capacity shortage on a number of thoroughfares, primarily
near the Central Study Area.
Chapter V: CONSIDERATIONS IN PLAN DEVELOPMENT
In light 0/ the anticipated travel demands this chapter e.r.plores
in general term s what is involved to meet the future transporta-
tion problems. It semes as a fOl'el'lInner to subsequent reports
f/'Oln METS covering 1J1an and program; provides criteria for
appraisal of plans, and presents a partial basis for policy decisions
in the transpOltation twill,
If Edmonton is to realize the capabilities of public transporta-
tion instead of experiencing the gradual deterioration of transit
characteristics of so many average-sized cities, a favorable environ~
ment needs to be provided COl' the operation of this mode.
Rather than establish a specific 1Jo int in tim.e w ilen various
transportation developments sllOuld occur, it appears 71lOl'e useful
to prescribe the circumstances which should lead to specific
courses of action in tmnsporlation-that is its stage development.
The importance of locating and developing soon a system of
routes on which effective transit service is to be provided cannot
be over-emphasized. All the cities of North America which have
high-capacity rapid-transit systems also have high concentrations
of land development. In a city which lacks sim ilar high COJ1centra~
Hons of population and employmcnt , it is unlikely that the high
densities appropriate to sophisticated transit systems will occur
through evolution unless some fOlm of efficient transportation
service stimulates such growth natmally. Therefore, in the years
ahead, the blls system may be generaUy viewed, as the forenmner
of a more sopl1isticated t'm nsit system, and improvements in the
bus operation generally should be related to the location of
potential high-capacity facilities wherever practical. To the extent
that high-speed bus alld high-speed aut'o Se1'Vice are combined in
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a single fa cility, the two may be used i ft comhilJUt/on as a 8";11111 -
lant to concentrations in land development.
I From the initial travel projection, it is evident that major new
facilities will be needed in the near future to accommodate the
I movement of motor vehicles to the central area. In assigning
priol'ties, the usefulness for bus operation of such improvements
should be considered carefully.
I After steps have been taken to 11pgrade the transit system and
lacllitles are available fol' rapid bus 1Il000ment to the celltre,
action should proceed all the construction of a bus distributor
I located above 01' below the sm1ace streets and intended to accom-
modate a significant \>Ol'ti011 of the buses circulating in the Central
Study Area-partieu arly the express runs.
I Edmonton's first 1leed jll the field of velliCIiIar transportation is
fOJ' a sllstem of tllOroughfares/ll wll/cll each link performs a
definable function. As in other cities at a comparable stage of
I development, Edmonton's street system consists primarily of a
group of thoroughfares radiating from the City's centre and which
fol'ces non-Central Study Area traffic thl'Ough the area.
Ttt view of the great development alltlcipate(l ill the Edmonton
area, it is tillle to identify the new thoroughfare links now. New
rights-of-way should be designated and acquired 0 1' reserved as
soon as possible; additional land development may make acquisi-
tion costly or impractical.
The magnit-ude of future tl'allsportation pt'oblems to be solved
illdlcates that the cilizell s of the Edmonton al'ett m ust be pt'epat'ed
for a marked jl/crease in public investment ill tl'al18poltatioll. This
cannot be avoided if Edmonton is to remain a viable urban area
and also achieve its growth potential in the form now planned.
Two courses of action appear possible to Edmonton. It can seek
the authority which it now lacks to apply its own taxation on
motor vehicles and theil' use, 01' it can be aided by the provincial
government to which highway funds now accrue. METS, Vol-
lime 1: Requirements, pp. 61-63.

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I ChaplerllNO

PLANNING THE FUTURE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM

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ACCEPTING T HE premises set out in Volume 1, that the City highways which would serve readily definable functions; which
I of Edmonton and its Metropolitan area have reached the stage
where a comprehensive fl an and program for private and public
cou ld be easily understood by users; and which could be con-
structed by stages as the need amse. A prime consideration has
transportation is critica to future planning and development, been to divert crosstown and through traffic from downtown
I this Chapter proceeds to summarize the various considerations
and steps necessary to produce such a plan and program.
streets by the provision of suitable by-pass routes.

As exl2lained in Volume 1 ( pages 10 and 11 ), a computCI

The t ravel projections used in this report are based on economic
I studies forecasting Edmonton's population growth and pattern
of land lise. The forecast pattern of land use in Edmonton prob-
was used to analyse the zone to zone movements which would
need to be accommodated in 1980, it being assumed that the
ratio between the various modes of travel would remain as at
ably approximates quite closely the development which will present. These estimates of zone to zone vehicular movements
I actually take place, It is important to remember, however, that
any changes in the concenb'ation of industrial, commercial,
in 1980 were then applied to the existing street system in the
metropolitan area, including those additions to it which are
educational or governmental activities forecast would affect the
already contemplated ,
I travel projections. Also changes in the number of persons per
vehicle, the peak hour intensity of travel, and the amount of use
made of public transit, would increase or decrease to some extent
Various alternative possibilities fo r accommodating the 1980
traffic on the existing pattern of streets, with major arteries and
the vehicular volumes forecast for 1980,
I The physical improvements such as structw'es and pavement
points of congestion upgraded as necessary, were examined. It
soon became apparent that it would be necessary to concentrate
the heaviest zone to zone movements into major traffic "corridors"
are based on the requirements of the 1980 traffic demands but
and to accommodate them by new facilities, over and above the
I provision has been made in the rights-of-way for additional
traffic lanes to accommodate volumes beyond this period, arteries that are p3lt of the present strcet system, For example,
109th Street, even coupled with l oath or llOth Streets could not
be made to serve the traffic demands of the south-west traffic
I CONSIDERATIONS UNDERlYING THE PLANNING OF THE RECOMMENDED
(l ) HIGHWAY SYSTEM AND (2) PUBLIC TRANSIT SYSTEM.
"corridor" in 1980,

( 1 ) The aim in planning the recommended highway system It was finally concluded that the most efficient and economical

I for Metropolitan Edmonton has been to produce a network of solution would be a system of "freeways" in entirely new locations.

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 Freeways, by providing lanes for free moving traffic. eliminate
the stop and go of city streets. They arc often three to four times as
efficient as arterial streets in moving vehicles pCI' hour per width
of roadway, and, although they may cost morc pcr mile to build,
they require fewer miles and less land area to provide a given
capacity increase. Thus, in the overall picture, freeways arc less
costly than the conventional streets which they supplant.
In the recommended transportation plan. a large part of the
increase in Edmonton's traffic will be absOIbed by the new free-
way facilities. Where appropl1atc, however. the upgrading of the
existing major arterial streets ( see fig. 5) is recommended in
order tha t they may be used to maximum efficiency as collectors
and distributors for the freeway system and to give service to
the adjacent land.
In the design of the freeways a level of service has been estab-
lished that would allow traffi c volumes d uring the peak pcriod
of 1,500 vehicles per lane pel' hour. The freeway sections have
been designed for either four moving lanes 01' six moving lanes,
and, in most cases wherc only foul' lanes will be required to
SCI've the 1980 traffic, right-of-way for a futu re six lane facility
has been provided.
The freeway routes have been shown as extending to meet the
major highways as thcse latter approach the Edmonton urban
area. An integrated system for th e entire region is thus provided .
The recommended minimum of a foUl' lane cross-section for these
extensions means an apparent surplus of capacity on these limited
access facilities where they leave the built-up area. However, if
the construction of these extensions is sta ged to the latter part of
the program peTiod, and a higher speed facility is provided for
the initial10w tram c volumes, a system consistent with the travel
requirements will result. Although . the freeway extensions are
shown (fig. 4 ) as joining up with the main highway system, the
estimates given in Clwptel' V I do not inelude the cost of their
construction beyond the borders of the urban development fore-
seen fo1' 1980.
B
I t is ~n ticipated that the developments that take place beyond
1980 Will tend towards more decentralization than has been the
case in the period under study, and the increased demands at that
time will primarily affect the outer extensions beyond the present
built-up areas.
The 1980 population fi gures used in this stud y may be reached
a few years earlier or a few years later than that date. In either
case, however, the validity of the recommended road system will
not be affected . It will be necessary only to adjust the rate of
implementation of the recommendation to the actual rate of
growth. The study method used lends itself well to a periodic
assessment of trends with a view to speeding up 0 1' slowing down
the rate of implementation of the basic program or to modification
of it.
(2) The aim in planning the system of public transporta-
tion for metropolitan Edmonton has been to arrive at the most
economical system which would meet the estimated dema nd and
at the same time compete successful ly with the private auto
mobile. Such a system must be flexible e nough to penn it adjust-
ment to ridership g reater 0 1' less than those predicted, due to
changes in the estimated . of passengers carried by public
and private transport. The for traffic volumcs which have
been developed in this provide an incr ease in the rate of
usage of pub lic the cenh'al Edmonton study
area from 27 % to in If this increase does not take
place, the reserve capacity in freeway system will handle
the resulting vehicular traffic.
To compete with the private automobile a transit system must
provide three types of selvice: a residential collection and feeder
system (which may also provide local and cross-town service): a
trunk line service: and a downtown distribution service. The last
of the three, the downtown distribution service. is by far the
most difficult to provide satisfactorily, and its requirements in
certain respects dctClmine the nahu e of the rest of the system.
I TYPICAL
I FREEWAY
SECTIONS

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""CAL .. lANe Del'lEUfO nEFHAY WITH RAMrs, SfRVlCe toAO .. SIOf SlO'U ",

I MJNIMUM tJW 300'

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I " LANt nnw"., SECTION sr",Gf:O fOR fUTUU WIDENIND TO , LANES

(OlHEIWl5f SAM! AS A&OVE)
MINIMUM R/W 300'

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TYP'lCA L .... LANE DfNUSlD fUEW ... T WITH .AM.S, snvlCE ROAD" SlOt! Slons 2, 1
(JA$P'fl !'tAce st:CTIOH)
MINloIWM Itw 24(1'

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I . LANE flUWAT ON I lvn $.101 ILO"

(MAClINNON IAVINf fIEEWA' )
METROPOLITAN FIOURE

I EDMONTON
TRANSPORTATION STUDY
1

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 TYPICAL
_. FREEWAY
SECTIONS (conl'd.)
, -"' ..
~. ,--,
l nlCAL 6 ..... NE D~,.UUD f RfEWAY WITH lAMPS, SERVICE '0.1.0,
SIDE SLOPES 2,1 .. RETAINII-IG W"' l LS
MINIMUM R/W 2$0'

TYriCAl "LANE fREEWAY AT GROIJND LEVU WITH BUFfU sniP" SUVICE .OAO
MINIMUM UW 200'

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$ECTION THROUGH EAST SIDE f UEW"Y" lAM'S Ne.!.!! 10 ' AVE. INTUCHANGE

L ... .~ ' .~ . .~ , L'
'- 'fl :::?":;-..
, .--c~.-
'" " .." .. "' ' "4.
I I I I 11111111
~LANE flUWA Y llvn IRIOOE, IN ITI AL S''''GE ' LANE fUEW"Y RIVU UIDGf, f iNAL STAGf
f iGURE
METROPOLITAN
EDMONTON 1
TRANSPORTATION STUDY .G ..n.....
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I Chapter three

I CLASSIFICATION OF ROAD TYPES

I THRO UGHOUT THIS study, road types are refened. to accord-
ing to the following classifications. F igw"e IJ'J"ovides iIIustmtions
I of typical freeway sections, and is intende to supplement the
descri ption.
Traffic Features These are divided arterial highways with
full control of access and grade separa-
tions at intersections. Urban freeways are
intended to accommodate heavy volumes
of traffic moving at high speeds under free

I FREEWAYS
Function To provide optimum mobility for through
flowing cond itions. Adjacent lands are
served b y frontage roads parallel to the
freeway. There are no traffic signals,
traffi c. They connect major points of traf- and all tuming and cross traffic, and all
I fic generation, and may serve long trip
traffic between large residential areas,
pedestrian cross traffiC is served by grade
separations. No parking is pennitted. RUll-
industrial or commercial concentrations, ning speeds on the freeway under free
I and the central business district. They are
generally extended to connect to the main
highways approaching the city.
flow ing conditions vary between 45 and
50 miles per hour. At peak hours, funning
speeds may drop to approximately 40

I Right-af-Way Width 200-300 feet.

miles per hom.

Moving Lanes 4 or 6.
I Daily Volumes 45,000-75,000.
Planning Features Ramps are gene rally spaced about one
mile apart, except near the central busi-
ness district where they may be closer

I Access Conditions Access to abutting property is prohibited.

except where provided for by means of
specially designed ramps or interchanges
which penn it free movement between
I freeways.
together. In order to provide adequate
street continuity. a ll major streets and
some local streets are carried either over
or under the freeway. In order to produce
the design speeds the freeway must h ave

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 very gradual curves and gentle grades. A
curve should generally have a minimum
radius of about 1,200 feet except when in
the built-up areas where right-of-way
restrictions might make a reduction of this
radius necessary. Freeway grades should
be less than 3%. though some steeper
grades nre acceptable for short lengths.
Ramps may have steeper gmdes.
EXPRESSWAYS
Ftmction To pennit relatively unimpeded traffic
flow through the City and between the
major elements of the City or its most
important traffic generators. They also
perfOim the secondary fun ction, unlike the
freeways, of serving adjacent properties.
An example is Hlth Avenue ( west end ).
Right-of-Way Width 135-250 feet.
Moving Lanes 4 or 6.
Daily Volume 20,000-40,000.
Access Conditions Divided roadways with full or partial
control of access but without grade separa-
tion at all intersections, these will be grade
separated when warranted . No minor
streets intersect these arterials, and gen-
eraUy adjacent properties have access not
directly b ut by parallel frontage roads.
Traffic Features Traffic signals to control cross and turning
traffic at grade intersections; some pedes-
trian crosswalks at grade, parking pro-
hibited. Running speeds under free flow-
ing conditions may approach 35 to 40
miles per hoUl'.
10
Planning Features Should not bisect a community district, a
neighborhood, or shopping centre. or other
homogeneous area. Should be located and
designed to serve as a buffer between
differently zoned a reas.
MAJOR ARTERIALS
Function To expedite the mqvemeut of through
traffiCto major traffic generators. and from
community to community. Their primary
function is to serve the adjacent land, to
collect and distribute traffic from freeways
and expressways, to less important arterial
streets or directly to traffic destinations.
Right-of-Way Width 80-120 feet.
Moving Lanes 4.
Daily Volume 10,000-25,000
Access Conditions Intersections at grade with direct access
to adjacent property.
Tmffic Features They are normally not divided. Channeliz-
ation used to control tuming movements
at some intersections. Traffic signals at
major intersections. Pedestrian crosswalks
at grade. parking restricted as required.
The nonnal running speed under free
flowing conditions varies from 25 to 30
m.p.h. An example of a major arterial
road- l07th Avenue ( from Groat Rd. to
149 St. ).
Planning Features DeSirably located on community and
neighborhood boundaries. Major arterial
streets should bypass maior shopping
centres. parks. and other homogeneous
areas.
I
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COLLECTORS Daily Volume 5,00010,000.
I Function To collect and distribute traffic from
major arterials to less important arterial
Access Conditions Intersections at grade, with direct access
to adjacent p roperty.
streets. They serve secondary traffic gen-
I erators such as community business cen-
tres, high schools, athletic fields, neighbor-
Traffic Featmcs Undivided roadways w ith b'affi c sign als at
major intersections, pedestrian cross walks
at grade, parking pcnnitted, but may be
hood shopping centres, parks and go1f restricted during peak hours. Running
I courses, etc., and traffic from neighbor-
hood to neighborhood within the com-
speeds under free flowing traffic condi*
tions are generally 15*25 m iles pel' hour.
munity.

I Hight-of-Way Width 66-80 feet.

Planning FeatUl'cs Desirably located on community and
neighborhood boundaries. Primary ali eriai
streets should bypass major shopping
centres, parks, and other homogeneous
I Moving Lanes 2 ( may be increased by parking limita-
tions) .
areas. They serve to focus traffic off the
local roads and residential streets.

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PROPOSED STAGING
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METROPQLIT AN RGURE

EDMONTON
14
, TRANSPORTATION STUDY

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Chapter lour
[
DESCRIPTION OF
I THE RECOMMENDED HIGHWAY PLAN

I THI S CHAPTER is devoted to a brief description of the highway to the adjacent parking facilities. It also allows for a by-pass
system which is recommended for the greater Edmonton area. mOVement for traffic within the central area, and . on a stage
I Chapter V is devoted to the publie transit system which is a
related and integral part of the transportation system. Together,
these two chapters represent the culmination of the transporta-
development basis, could help to by-pass through traffic from
the central area until such time as the downtown freeway loop
is completed .
tion study. The recommendations contained in them and illus-
I trated in the accompanying fi gures have as their aim the provision
of a plan for the rapid, safe and economical movement of persons
The main freeway loop is made up on the north by a freeway
in the vicinity of 106th Avenue, on the west by a freeway in the
and goods thl'oughout Metropolitan Edmonton. vicinity of !lOth Street, on the south by a freeway parallel to the
I GENERAL FEATURES OF THE PLAN
north bank of the River, and on the east by a freeway in the
vicinity of 94th Street. It serves the purpose of carrying through
traffic around rather than through the central business district. It
I As can be seen h om a study of Figure 2, the proposed highway
system consists of a rectangular pattern of major roacls and the ir
extensions superimposed on the existing grid which fonus Edmon-
also allows good distribution of traffic into and out of the cenh'ul
business d istrict.

ton's basic street system.
I The dominant features of the proposed highway system are the
rectangle or "ring" of freeways ar OUJld the downtown area, called
I "The Downtown Freeway Loop," and the freeways which feed
into the loop at its four comers. These freeways and the down-
town loop tie the whole road system together. Within the
The freeways extending outward from the four corners of the
main loop in general follow the g rid pattern, though the north-
east freeway is a radial route because of the geography of the
area and the right-of-way available (Stadium Rd. and FOI1: Trail ).
From the south-west corner of the loop, a freeway runs due west
along the river to Jasper Place and another ,'uns due south close
to 109th Street. From the north-west corner, a freeway runs north

I downtown freeway loop is an inne r distributor ring which is

bowlded on the north by 104 tll Avenue, on the west by the
one way streets, 104th and 105th Streets, on the south by 99th
Avenue and on the east by 97th Street. This inner distributor
I ring gives access to the core of the central business district and
and slightly west still following the grid pattern. From the south.
east comer, a freeway runs nearly due south along Mill Creek
Ravine, and an expressway runs to the east in the vicinity of
98th Avenue. These freeways and expressways radiating out from
the loop extend beyond the built-up area (either as freeways or

13
expressways ) to connect ultimately with the highway system as it
approaches the Oity.
The grid pattern of roads is fi lled out on the north side of the
river by the following streets: l07th Avenue, l Uth Avenue,
!lBth and 119th Avenues, 125th Avenue, 127th Avenue and 137th
Avenue. On the south side of the river the east-west arterials are
lOIst Avenue, 98th Avenue ( which has been mentioned as an
extension of the freeway system), 87th and 90th Avenue, 82nd
Avenue and its extension to H ighway 14, 76th Avenue, 61st and
63rd Avenue and their extension eastward aJong Argyll Road, and
finally the perimeter road along 45th Avenue. In Jasper Place,
in the south-west comer of the City, the east-west arterials include
95th Avenue, 87th Avenue and 79th Avenue.
In the north-south direction the grid pattern is also fi lled out
by a series of major arterials. On the north side of the dver, at
the westem extremity, they include 170th Street (fonning the
west perimeter road) , and ( interior arteries) 156th, 149th and
142nd Sbeets. The extension of these north-south arte rials is
carried across tlle river on the proposed Quesnell Ravine Bridge
and south along 142nd Street. Moving eastward, the next major
north-sou th arterial is made up of the Groat Road, the Groat
Bridge, and Saskatchewan D rive extended south to join into
122nd Street on the south side. This latter route constitutes a
major north-south artery from st. Albert through to the south City
limits, and will provide capacity on an intelim basis, until such
time as the South Freeway is in operation. 127th Street is part of
the grid in the north part of the City as is 113th Street. South of
the airport the grid is filled out with 12] st Street extended south-
ward in to H 6th Street. l ooth Street south of the Municipal Air-
pOit will remain a major north-south arterial, parallel to the free-
way, and 97th Street will be one of the major north-south grid
roads north of the rivet. South of the river l04th Sb'eel will carry
out its function as a north-south arterial, along w ith an improved
l 05th Street cross-river facility.
Tn the north-east corner of the City, 82nd Street, 66th Street,
50th Street and a new mad near 26th Street form the north-south
grid . 66th Street is extended across the river via a bridge at the
14
foot of Capilano Ravine to join into 75th Sbeet. Seventy-fifth
Street south of the river has been designated as the major north-
south artery connecting to the river bridge. However, in order
to provide fol' a truck route which does not traverse a main
residential neighborhood, it may be necessary to designate 50th
Street from Whyte Avenue to 98th Avenue as the truck route.
Provision for a minor connection to the bridge can be made by
utilizing the Capilano Ravine alignment from 98th Avenue to the
south approaches to the bridge. Swtable buffer treatments have
already been provided for in the subdivision design for the area
west of 50th Street. The east side of 50th Street which is zoned
heavy industry should not create any difficulties. On the south
side 84th street running into 83rd will continue to be a north -
south arterial. 50th Street and the road allowance one mile west
of Highway 14X will continue to be maior north-south arterials
in the south-cast comer of the City. H ighway 14, 14X and 16A
should, w ith improvements, continue to function as part of the
major highway network.
DESCRIPTION OF FREEWAYS
The figures showing the freeways in this report have been
pl'epared on aerial mosaics made up from aerial photographs
taken in 1962 by Spartan Air Service Limited. The aerial mosaics
were enlarged to 1"=200' for working drawings. Th is scale was
then reduced for the report to approximately 1/1 = 800' except in
the case of the downtown mosaic which was reduced to approxi-
ffi:j. tely 1" = 550'. The descriptions of the freeways should be
read in conjunction with a study of the fi gures.
The Downtown Freeway Loop-Figure 6
Figure 6 aerial mosaic shows in detail the downtown freeway
loop. F ull interchange at the four comers of the loop at the
freeway intersections has been provided wherever possible so
that all turning movements at these four comers can be accom-
modated . Tlte exception to full interchange between the freeways
is at the south-west comer where the difference of elevation
between the north-south freeway and the east-west freeway will
not allow a fu ll interchange.
I
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The north side of the downtown loop is located just to the north inte rchange is built in its final fonn the incinerator may have 10
1 of l06lh Avenue and provides a logical boundary between the
industrial growth that has developed up to lOOth Avenue and tile
be removed. This large interchange makes up the south-cast
comer of the downtown freeway loop. It allows all movements to
residential development to the north of l 06th Avenue. The major take place between the downtown loop, the Mill Creek Freeway
access points 10 the central business district from the freeway
I arc at 97th Street. JOl st Street and 105lh Street.
and the expressway extending 10 the east in the vicinity of 98th
Avenue.

The west side of the downtown freeway loop starts at a point

I near the intersection of 106111 Avenue and UUh Street and pro-
ceeds south overpassing the CN R yards and then curves to the
The east side of the downtown freeway loop from the inter-
chnnge in the vicinity of the incinerator site J?rocceds north across
the North Saskatchewan River on a proposed new bridge( niver~
west to cross Jasper Avenue just west of 1121h Street. From Jasper
dale Bridge), located jllst downstream from the Grierson Hill
I Avenue it proceeds south to l ooth Avenue and then curves over
10 HUh Street to pass east of the Misericordia Hospital and
proceeds due south to a proposed new high level bridge over the
Slide a rea. No provision was made in the cost estimates for tltis
hddge to accommodate the rail rapid transit outlined in the
river in the vicinity of llUh Street. rnterchanges are provided Bechtel Report of June 1963. The level of the bridge contem-
I between this west side and 100th Avenue, Jasper Avenue, 99th
Avenue and 97th Avenue but no interchange has been provided
plated allows the construction of the freewa y interch ange in the
vicinity of the incinerator, whereas the Rail Ral?id Transit Study
with lOOth Avenue, A connection via a westerly extension of 97th visualizes a high Jevel bridge. The use of this b ridge for n Hail
I Avenue at 110th Street bas been made to the MacKinnon Free-
way, but this docs not provide full interch ange,
Rapid Tmusit System should be the subject for fUlther engineer-
ing and economic analysis.

I Several altemaUve routes for the west side of this freeway loop
were studied. The possible alternative routes considered were
between 109th Street on the east and 112th Street 011 the west,
and land use, engineering feasibility and costs were considered
I in each case, The recommended alignment appeared to satisfy
the various considerations, particularly as regards land use in the
best possible way.
I The south side of the downtown freeway loop is made up of a
freeway parallel to the river between the Parliament Building
From the bridge the freeway follows 94th Street northward to
cross Jasper Avenue near l02nd Avenue. North ofJaspcr Avenue
it is located midway between 95th Street nnd 931' Street but at
the point where it crosses the CNR tracks it is I"ust cast of 95th
Street. North of the CNR tracks in the vicin ity 0 95th Street and
106th Avenue is located the north-cast comer of the downtown
freeway loop and an interchange is provided here between the
three connecting freeways. Access to the central business district
from the east side of the downtown freeway loop is provided by a
diamond interchange at lOIst Avenue, 10Lst Avenue will become

I grounds and the river's edge. A major intersection with l05th

Street is provided at the north end of the 105th Street Bridge.
From th is point the freeway curves to the north-cast and at 98th
Avenue turns east and crosses the North Saskatchewan River.
I Connections to the freeway have been shO\'VU at 97th Avenue.
Bellamy Hill and also to the present Low Level Bridge approaches
on the east side of the River, In the vicinity of the incinerator site
I a major directional interchange is provided. However, beFore th is
an extension eastward of Jasper Avenue From the vicinity of 97th
Street making this diamond interchange a major access point to
the central business district" No interchange is prOVided between
the east side of Ihe freeway loop and the prescnt Jasper Avenue.
A diamond interchange is provided with I03A Avenue which is
proposed as the new access to the Dawson Bridge, and this road
and its extension into l04th Avenue will be the north side of the
inner distributor ring around the central core.

15
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There appear to be some conflicts between the freeways and
the proposed subway scheme outlined in the Bechtel Report. F or
example, this may call for the fe-location of these facilities or
deepening of the subway. This matter might well be dealt with
at the time of the economic and engineering study, mentioned
above.
The nOith side of the downtown freeway loop is a depressed
section. The west side of the loop except for the overpass over the
CNR tracks is also a fully depressed roadway. The freeway par-
aUeling the river is proposed to be built at ground level and the
cast side of the downtown freeway loop except for the river
bridge is a depressed freeway section.
The final assignment of 1980 t'rafic volumes ( Figure 3) placed
over 70,000 vehicles a day on the north side of the \00\), 65,000
vehicles a day on the west side of the loop, 45,000 vehic es a day
on the south side of the loop, and approximately 45,000 vehicles a
day 011 the east side of the loop. On tile basis of these vol umes it is
recommended that all four sides of the downtown loop be de-
signed for six lane divided highways as shown on the typical
highway sections ( Figure 1 ), except for a section of the soutb side
west of the 100th Street interchange. They may, though, be built
on a stage constmction basis providing in some areas, first a 4 lane
divided roadway, and later upgrading to the full 6 lanes when
warranted by traffic demands. In any case it is imperative that
the right-or-way be adequate for a future six lane divided high-
way and that these be acquired in the initial phases of the
program.
7'!Je NOlth-East F,.eeway- Figure 7
The north-east freeway is a radial route paralleling the main
line of the CNR tracks in north-east Edmonton. From the north-
east comer of the downtown freeway loop it proceeds on an
alignment to pass SOUtll of Clarke Stadium along tIlC existing
Stadium Road and ext'e nds this alignment parallel to the CN R
tracks to the vicinity of 78th Strcct where it curves north and joins
the present Fort Trailllear 120t11 Avenue. It then follows tile Fort
16
Trail passing under the CNR railway by an underpass structure
to join into 66th Street.
The 1980 program shows this freeway tenninating at 66th Street
in the viciuity of 127th Avenue. The plan, by a dotted line shows
a possible future extension to can)' the freeway to the limits of
the built-up area and meet Highway 15.
The final assignment of 1980 projected traffic shows this
f.reeway carrying 25,000 vehicles a day at its oligin in the vicinity
of 66th Street. After the freeway passes through the interchange
with 125th Avenue the traffic volumes increase to 55,000 a day
and build up to 60,000 a day as it approaches the downtown free-
way loop. This freeway is proposed to be constructed at ground
level past Clarke Stadium from which point it becomes a de-
pressed section, and would have adequate right-or-way to provide
for a full six lane divided faCility. The connection to Highway
15 and the connection via 125th Avenue to the Beverly Bridge
will bring main highway traffic from the north and the east into
downtown Edmonton on a high standard faci lity.
The existence of Clarke Stadium grandstands presented a prob-
lem in providing the ultimate highway section requ ired to accom-
modate the anticipated volumes in 1980. A stage construction
approach to tJ1C problem is recommended which will allow the
construction of four lanes of traffic passing tJ\e Stadium without
providing shou lders or stopping lanes in the immediate vicinity
of the Stadium . This would allow for a service lane adjacent to
the moving lanes on the east side. Then at a later date, in order
to realize the full capacity of the freeway, an additional width
of apPl'Oximately 100' would be required on the west side. The
cost of any revision to Clarke Stadium to provide for this addi-
tional width has not been included in the cost estimate.
Various alternative routes to the north of Clarke Stadium were
studied and the land use planners consulted Witll each alternative.
Also the use of the CNR right-of-way for an elevated structure
or a shiftin g of the tracks was studied but the alignment adopted
and shown in Figure 7 proved to be the most desirable taking into
consideration land use, engineering feasibility and costs.
I 1880 TRAFFIC
I PLOW MAP'

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o
ICAL! 1M MILES

I flOURE

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I The NOltll-West Freeway-Figure 8 as a six-lane divided facility. The roadway section to be used
I The north-west freeway begins at the interchange in the north-
west comer of the dowutowll freeway loop and p roceeds due
would be depressed or semi-depressed throughout its length.
The MacKinnon Raville FIeeway-Figure 9
north along lllth Street in line with the north-south runway of
the Municipal Airport. At the point where Princess E lizabeth The MacKinnon Ravine freeway begins at the south-west
Avenue jOins Kingsway the freeway curves to the nortll-west to corner of the downtown loop and follows closely the North
follow the present alignment of Kingsway to 119th Street where Saskatchewan River to an interchange with the present Croat
it t urns north and parallels the main line of the Canadian National Road. It then proceeds west along the north bank of the river up
I Railway tracks along the west side of the Municipal Airport. In
the vicinity of 123rd Avenue it curves and crosses the Canad ian
MacKinnon Ravine to join into l ooth Avenue in the vicinity of
145th Street. The freeway then follows 100th Avenue to the west
National Railway tracks to join 125th Avenue ncaf 123rd Street. boundary of the Town of Jasper Place where it joins highway
I From this paint the freeway and the east-west arterial along
125th Avenue are combined in onc right-oF-way with the Freeway
16 at the present traffic interch ange ncar 170th Street. Access to
this freeway has been provided at 149th Street, 156th Street
terminating at 127th Street. and 1631'd Street. The portion of the freeway along the rivcr
I Access is provided to this freeway at H u h Avenue, at Princess
E lizabeth Avenue and at 118t11 Avenue, as well as from 125th
valley and lip the ravine would be at ground level and the
portion through Jasper Place would be a semi-depressed section.
This freeway throughout its length would be a four lanc divided
Avenue which will become an expressway by-pass route for
facility and no provision would be made for future expansion
I industrial and main highway traffic through the northern part
of the City. to six lanes. The anticipated traffic volumes near the downtown
loop would be 35,000 vehicles a day and on the section in
The use of a portion of Kingsway for a freeway and the exten- Jasper Plnce there would be 30,000 vehicles per day, although
I sion of the freeway south along l1lth Street will, when the system
is completed, cause Kingsway from Princess E lizabeth Avenue to
.LOlst Street to be downgraded as a major traffic artery. The final
summer time resol't traffic could exceed these figures.

assignment of 1980 traffic volumes shows 65,000. vehicles a da~ The South Fl'eeway-Figw'c 10
I on the freeway neal' the downtown loop decreasmg to apprOXI-
mately 50,000 on the Kingsway portion and has volumes of about
Starting from the south-west corner of the downtown frccway
loop the South Freeway crosses the river on a proposed new high
25,000 on the outer portion where there is less dense development. level bridge upsu'eam from the present High Level Bridge.
I The extension of this freeway to the north to join ultimately in-
The bridge and approaches would extend from the nOlth bank
in the vicinity of lUth Street to the south bank neal' 110th Street.
to the main highway system north of St. Albert is shown as a From the river bank the freeway follows HOth Street until in the
dotted line and has not been included in the 1980 program. The
I ultimate successful bridging of this gap along with similar situa-
tions in other directions on the perimeter of the City will depend
vicinity of University Avenue it Clll'ves over into 109th Street.
I t would then follow l09th Sh'eet south to 61st Avenue and
curve west to lllth Street. In the I'egionru plan this freeway is
on a satisfactory agreement being reaclled between the Depart-
I ment of Highways and the municipalities involved in regard to
these main highway accesses.
shown as extending due south to connect up ultimately with
Highway 2 neal' Nisku.
Access to this freeway would be provided at 87th Avenue,

I This north-west freeway is planned for cons truction ultimately Whyte Avenue, 76th Avenue, 61st Avenue, 51st Avenue and

17
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would join the outer perimeter road on 45th Avenue with a major
interchange (see Figw'e 2),
The highway section south of the river bridge to 6lst Avenue
would be a depressed section as well as being depressed at some
of the interchanges on the remaining sections. Other sections
would be b uilt at ground level or be semi-depressed. It would
provide for a six lane divided highway to accommodate the
1980 b'affi c volumes of 40,000 vehicles a day ncar 45th Avenue
to 50,000 vehicles a day near the downtown freeway loop. The
final assignment of traffic for 1980 vohunes shows this route to
be Edmonton's major access to Highway 2 to the south and with
the proposed continued development of the City to the south-
west, would provide a high standard traffic artery for movements
from the south-west to the City centre and other parts of
Metropolitan Edmonton.
The Mill Creek FreeW(ly-FJgul'e 11
The last of the freeways to be described is that which joins
into the downtown freeway loop at the south-east comer. It
makes use of the Mill Creek Valley and would ultimately connect
the cenhlll business district with Highway 2 near Nisku. From
the major directional interchange shown located ncar the present
incinerator site this freeway would proceed up the west side
of the Mill Creek Valley to pass under the west span of the
present Whyte Avenue Mill Creek bridge. Just south of Whyte
Avenue it would cu rve to the east to cross Mill Creek Valley and
then curve south to overpass 76th Avenue in the vicinity of 915t
Street. It proceeds south in the vicinity of 915t Street to a point
south of the City limits where it Cllrves to the west to join
Highway 2.
Access to this facility has been p rovided at a new east-west
artelY in th e vicinity of 92nd Avenue. at 76th Avenue. Argyll
Road, 51st Avenue and at the proposed outer ring road on 45th
Avenue.
The traffic volumes assigned to this freeway in 1980 are lower
th an any freeway in the system. There are approximately 30,000
vehicles a day ncar the downtown freeway loop decreasing to
10,000 as it approaches the outer ring road on 45th Avenue. Like
IS
the MacKinnon Ravine Freeway this has been shown as a four lane
divided facility without provision for future widening to six lanes.
The vo l ume.~ as shown on the projection for 1980 anticipate that
the South Freeway would be in operation. The staging and
programming calls for the Mill Creek Freeway to be built prior
to the fu ll development of the South Freeway in which case
it will be called upon to handle volumes in excess of those shown
on the 1980 flow may. The cost estimates for the 1980 program
contemplate the Mil Creek Freeway being constructed as far
south as the interchange with the proposed new perimeter road
in the vicinity of 45th Avenue.
The location of the freeway shown on the drawings has been
picked to maintain the recreational features of Mill Creek Ravine
and still provide a pleasant park drive. In selecting this location ,
considerable study was given to the various other possible align-
ments. The one shown was not the least expensive but does
provide a balance between the need to retain park areas for
recreation, balanced against property acquisition, engineering
feasibility and cost considerations.
Tn the previous patagraphs, the freeways required in the built-
up urban areas have been described. The following deals with
their extensions into the peripheral areas,
FreeW(ly Extensions to the Highway System
The freeways in aU cases show a build-up in volumes from the
less densely developed areas to the point at which they join the
downtown freeway loop. On the basis of the level of service
selected for the design of these facilities with regard to volumes
and speed. the provision of four or six lane freeway type facilities
is justified .
In general, the extension of freeways beyond the urban built-up
area to the toint where the system joins the main highway system
is a desirab e feature. If the level of service provided on the rural
highways in tenu s of volumes and speeds were applied to the
design of these sections a freeway facility would be required.
This situation is particularly evident when reviewing the need to
1

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extend the north-east and north-west freeways to the main high- Improvements to the Major Arterial Road System

I way system.
As a general rule the nlTal highways standards require a free-
way at half the volumes used in designing facilities in the urban
A comparison of the volume flow maps for the 1961 road system
and the volume flow map for the 1980 recommended system
shows that the freeways provide most of the additional capacity
necessary to absorb the travel increase between 1961 and 1980
I areas. The capacity requirements are naturally 11 function of the
operating speeds and if the rural highway speeds are to be carried
into and through the less densely developed areas on the out-
with some reserve.
In most cases the freeway locations are along entirely new
skirts of the City a higher standard highway facility must be routes and have not reduced the existing street capacities. The two
I provided. exceptions to this are a short section of 109th Street and that
>O]'tion of Kingsway between 111th Street and 119th Street. The
Also, if the ultimate development beyond 1980 is to be anti-
cipated for these arcas the plans at this time should call for a 1reeway plan will, however, not relieve all the congestion
I standard high enough to meet these rural highway requirements.
This problem of planning for two standards of accommodating
problems on all of the arterial streets now presently in use and
localized points of congestion may occur on particular arterial
traffic in the 1980 program and providing reserves for the period connections. Also, there are some new arterial strccts or arterial

I beyond 1980 has not been resolved in this study and in the case
of the north-east and north-west freeways their extensions have
been shown as dotted lines and the cost of these extensions has
I not been included in the estimates.
The extension of all the freeways to join the main highway
system represent major expendit ures in property acquisition and
I ultimately in construction costs. However, there is the definite
need at this time, to plan these routes to meet the rural highways
in order to provide an integrated high standard system for the
I entire metropolitan area. This requirement along with the
deciSion to use as a minimum standard, a limited access divided
four lane highway meant either providing a surplus of capacity
for the 1980 traffic or a high level of service.
I It is considered important that these routes be designated
to these high standards so that access can be limited and
development restricted even though construction may be staged
I or may not start until late in the program period approaching
1980. The impact, though, of planning at this time for such long
range construction and the consequent cost of obtaining and
I protecting right-of-way to preserve the higher level of service
for what is mainly main highway traffic imposes a financial
burden on the City that should undoubtedly be shared with the
street connections required to provide t]le collectors and distri-
butors needed to completc the freeway and expressway system.
These route improvements and new arterial connections are
shown on Figure 5.
Minor improvements such as signalization, cllannelization and
so for th have not been dealt with in this report and are not
included in the cost estimates. The extent to which route improve-
ment studies were carried out was limited to the areas showing
capacity deficiencies in the present road system after the recom-
mended freeway plan had been established. The subject of the
improvements to the existing system or the prOvision of new
arteries to complete the road system will be discussed lInder the
following headings :
1 Perimeter Roads,
1
2 New Bridges and their Road Connections,
3 Railway Grade Separation Structures,
4 Improvements to Existing Roads and Intersections,
5 Parlcing Requ irements,
6 Truck Routes.
(1) Pe"imeter Roads
There is a need to provide for additional circumferential
facilities both in the built-up areas and as outer ring roads.
Although these outer perimeter roads may now exist as d irt or

I Provincial Government since this essentially meets a requirement

of the rural highway traffic.
gravelled roads, they are considered as largely new facilities in
the 1980 program .
, 19
 The outer perimeter mad for the 1980 development might be
considered as following 45th Avenue on the south and 125th
Avenue on the north. On the west it would follow 170th
Street and 0 11 the cast tIl e existing Highway 14X and l 6A
to complete a circLUllferenUal route. In tenns of priority most of
this outer ring would not be rated very high although there are
key sections that do show high traffic volumes in 1980. There
is the need. however, particularly ill the south and west sectors
of the urban area to provide right-oE-way and plan for the fuhrrc
construction of a high standard facility. This is particularly
evident in the south-west section along 45th Avenue and along
1451h Street to the proposed new river bridge at the foot of
Quesnell Ravine where development may soon take place which
could prejudice th e provision of a future high standard highway.
Right-of-way has already been provided fo r this south-west sector
of the outer ring road along 79th Avenue and up 170th Street
to the interchange with Highway 16 at the west boundary of
Jasl>el' Place.
Since there are sections of these perimeter roads that have low
traffic volumes shown for 1980. a stage construction approach
may be necessary to allow a road to be built and eventually the
construction of a high standard facility and still keep the present
outlay wilh in the financial resources of the municipalities. The
right-of-way, of course, would have to be provided for the pro-
vision of the future four lane expressway but coustmction in the
next ten years could be cal'l'ied out first on the frontage roads
and then the more expensive main lanes and grade separation
structures could be added as the traffic demands develop. This
arrangement would allow maximum flexibility because all of the
right-of-way would be acquired illitially and all development
would be served as it took place. A heavier pavement design
would be required on the fron tage roads than would be other-
wise provided but this would be justified b y the postponement
of the major expenditures for a substantial period of time.
Another approach would be to construct only two lanes of the
four lane expressway with interim at grade intersections. This
stage construction approach may well be used on other roads such
20
as along 137th Avenue or roads in the south-east corner of the
Metropolitan Area.
The north-west sector of the outer perimeter road follows 170th
Street to the point wherc it meets the westerly extension of 125th
Avenue in the vicinity of lI9th Avenue and 170th Street. The
northern portion of this perimeter road follows 125th Avenue
passing north of the Mlln icipaJ Airport and extends to the east
to join ultimately Highway 16 near the Beverly Bridge. This high
standard facility along 125t-h Avenue will serve to by-pass main
highway traffic from Highway 16 in the east to Highway 16 in
the west as well as providing an industrial truck route and a
collector for the freeway system. These perimeter roads.
described in this section could within the 1980 period serve as
the main highway by-pass routes for meb'opolitan Edmonton.
They might thus qualify under the Provincial Government assist-
ance progmm for gmnts to main highway by-pass roads.
The cost estimates for the 1980 program include the construc-
tiOIl of this outer ring road from the interchange of 45th Avenue
and the proposed Mill Creek Freeway aroulld the m ban area
to the south-west, up the west side of Jasper Place on 170th
Street and through the City on the north along 125th Avenue
to and including a new bridge over the North Saskatchewan
River parallel to the present Beverly Bridge. No attempt has been
made in the cost estimates to show the savings that might be
possible by taking a stage construction approach to building this
perimeter road since this could vary greatly depending on the
steps taken. The total cost of the perimeter roads described is
about $12,500,000 and since the traffic demands on a large portion
of these roads will be light in 1980 a large saving by stage con-
struction might be effected.
(2) New Bl'idges and their Rood Connections
Besides the f reeway bridges and the new bridges on the
perimeter roads described above there are other bridge projects
shown on the highway system for 1980.
I
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One is a bridge in the east end of Edmonton at the foo t of and a major interchange at the south end of the Quesnell Havine
I Capilano Ravine which along with its road approaches will join
66th Street on the north side of the river to 75th Street on the
south side of the river. The 1980 traffic volumes assigned to this
Bridge over the North Saskatchewan River.
A new bridge is proposed over MacKenzie Ravine on 142nd
Street. The estimated total cost of these bridges over the l;ver and
bridge do not make tbis a high priority project. The cost
I estimates call for a two lane bridge structure with provision to
expand to four lanes when traffi c demands warrant and two lane
crecks and their road connectioos is $8,000,000.

approach roads with an extra climbing lane for trucks.
I The construction of the South F reeway may not be realized
until late in the pwgram, and therefore additional bridge capacity
may be required at 105lh Street with improved approaches to
I serve this interim need . It is therefore recommended that this
facility (I05th St. bridge and approaches) be planned for con-
struction. This bridge should provide for four lane capacity with
I improvements to the l04th Street approach 0 11 the south side.
On the north side of the river it would connect to the downtown
freeway loop and feed traffic into the central bUSiness district
I via l ooth Street. A new bridge is required at a higher level than
the existing structure to allow provision of suitable grades on
the access roads out of the valley to the south and to make the
connections to the interchange with the freeway at the north
I end of the bridge.
The priority for this structure wil1largely depend on the timing
I of the construction of the South Freeway with its high level
bridge west of l ooth Street and the Mill Creele Freeway. II these
are late in the program period the need for improvements at l 05th
I Street would be early in th e program.
New bridges and connections required over creeks and ravines
are: -
I A new bridge is proposed over the White Mud Creek in the
vicinity of 57th Avenue. This will be on a projection westward
of SIst Avenue to allow its extension to connect to the outer
I ring road along 142nd Street. Th is will provide another access
route from south-west E dmonton to the F reeway System reliev-
ing 45th Avenue of the heavy volumes anticipated beyond 1980.
I It also eliminates the need for a major artery in the river valley
(3) Railway Gmde Se1JaJ"atiOfl Structu res
In addition to thc bridges described above, there are in the 1980
construction program proposals for the construct ion of railway
grade separation structures and their road conncctions. Those
described in this section of the repOlt are in add ition to the
railway grade separation structures required fO!" the freeway
system. It is essential that the freeways be completely gmde
separated from any railway tracks and the construction of the
grade separations wou ld be carried out during construction
of the freeways. Many of these additional grade separations may
be carried out as f unds and traffic demands warrant. All the
grade separation of railway tracks included in the 1980 1)rogram
are not necessarily dictated by traffjc volumes but may be needed
to eliminate the hazard and inconvenience associated with the
operation of major streets over railway grade level crossings.
Tllese are described first for the CNR tracks starting from the
west side of E dmonton:-
A grade scparation structme is proposed where the St. Albert
Trail crosses the main line of the CNR. Otbers are shown where
1.25th Avenue and 118th Avenue cross the CNR near 121st Street
and where llHh and 107th Avenue cross the same line. Of these
laUer three, the I11th Avenue crossing with the highest traffic
volumes is considered as the most impOitant.
A grade separation is proposed at 112th Avenue and the CNR
tracks in the vicinity of 82nd Street and also separation of 82nd
Street aod 66th Street and the CNR tracks in the vicinity of 125th
Avenue. Grade separations are shown at the CNR and H9th
Avenue near the Exhibition Grounds to eliminate the present
level crossing on H 8th Avenue and where 125th Avenue (Santa
Rosa Road) crosses the CNR near 70th Street. The C.P.R. grade

21
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separation projects proposed are all on the south side of the
river and include a gmde separation of Whyte Avenue and the
C.P.R., l04tb Street and the C.P.R. as well as grade separation
stl1.lctures at 76lh Avenue, 63rcl Avenue and 45th Avenue. A new
overpass over the C.P.R. is included for the proposed relocation
of Saskatchewan Dlive ncar l Oath Street.
In the south-east comer of the City provision has been made for
the grade separation of 50th Street and the C.P.R, branch line
ill the vicinity of 82nd Avenue and also one is provided where
Highway 14 crosses the same C. P.R. line.
The cost estimates for these railway g rade separation structures
is about $8,000,000. A large part of this would be paid by the
senior governments and the railway companies to eliminate the
hazard of the level crossings. The program and priority for these
structures would largely be established by conditions a rising from
the LTaffic volumes on the road and the frequency of train sClvice.
(4) Improvements to Existing Roads Gnd Intersections
The previous sections in this chapter have dealt mostly with
new facilities, new bridges and their road connections, and new
railway grade separations. There are, however, sections of the
existing street system that must be upgraded or widened, or
undergo major intersection improvements to alIow them to serve
their function as major arterial streets and carry the anticipated
volumes of traffic assigned to them in 1980.
The most impo rtant of these is the upgrading of the ea st~wes t
nrtery which feeds into the south-east comer of the downtown
freeway loop. This, in general, follows the alignment of 98th
Avenue and brings Highway 16 traffic to the downtown area as
well as providing continuity to thc east~west artery wh ich will pass
through Edmonton from Jasper Place on the west to the easterly
City limits. From the interchange at the south-east comer of the
downtown freeway loop to the intersection with 84th Street at
the top of this hill it is proposed to build this facility as an
cxpres.~way. From 84th Street to 75th Street some widening w ill
be necessary. Also, this upgrading wilt have to be extended to
22
provide a similar high standard of facility from 70th Street to 50th
Street whero it joins the prescnt Highway 16A.
97th Street from the 1l0lth feeding Highway 28 traffic from
Namao Air Base, Gricsbach Barracks and serving the existing and
future deve lopment to tJle 1l0rtJl of Edmonton will require up-
grading throughout most of its length from 137th Avenue to
the north side of the downtown freeway 10012. This will consist
mainly of roadway widening except from lllth Avenue south to
l07th Avenue, where 97th Street and 98th Street will be used as
one way streets to better accommodate the traffic volumes
4
anticipated.
St. Albert Trail from the City limits to 125th Avenue has been
included in the program to be reconstructed as a six lane divided
roadway.
To relieve the congestion on 118th Avenue bctwcen 97th Street
and the Exhibition Grounds, it is proposed to carry the through
traffic on 119th Avenue from a point near the Exhibition Grounds
to Princess Eli7.abeth Road near 102nd Street.
Illth Avenue has been planned as a major east~west artery
and throughout most of its length has adequate width a nd right-
of~way to handle the traffic volume.~ anticipated in 1980. H ow-
ever, between 82nd Street and 95th Strcct some widening and
improvements are required to maintain a consistent level of
service with that provided elsewhere in the system.
It was mentioned earlier that a new bridge has been proposed
to cross the North Sa~katch ewan River at the foot of CapiJano
Ravine. This would conn<.-ct illto 60th Street on the north side
of the d ver and ill order to carry this north-south artery through
to 137th Avenue improvem ents would be necessary to 66th Street,
between Ada Boulevard and llBtb Avenue, and from 123rd
Avenue to 137th Avenue. In order to connect this new bridge
into the system on the south side, improvements are necessary
along 75th Street from 98th Avenue to the bridge approaches.
To provide better access from the Dawson Bridge crossing of
the North Saskatchewan River to the central business district t\
I
I
new app roach out of the west side of the valley to join l03A The cost estimates of these improvements to existing mad s and

I Avenue has been proposed. Th is would connect to the downtown

freeway loop and would extend into the central business district
to join 104lh Avenue which forms the north leg of the inner
distributor ring.
I A new east-west facility on the south side is recommended to
join 87th A venue in the vicinity of the University to 90th Avenue
I north of the Bonnie Doon Shopping Centre. It would be
connected to the Mi.Il Creek Freeway by an interchange and
would extend west along Wild Avenue tOJ'OiU Saskatchewan
I Drive in the vicinity of 99th Street. It len would follow
Saskatchewan Drive west to 108th Street where it crosses over
the c.P.R. tracks to intersect 109th Street at 87th Avenue. This
would allow the present Saskatchewan Drive connection with
I 109th Street at the south end of the High Level Bridge to be
closed and eliminate the present five-legged intersection. This
east-west arte ry would be connected to the South Freeway by (\
I diamond interch ange at 87th Avenue.
mad intersections is $12,500,000. Staging of the work on the
freeways may allow some of these improvements to be postponed
beyond 1980 or if the freeway construction is delayed they m ay
be required early in the pmgram.
The cost of street wide ning proposed for the Central Business
District and the construction program required to effect the
recommended traffic improvements contained in the Central Busi-
ness District plan, which is essentially the roadway improvements
within the Downtown Frccway Loop, have not been included
in the cost estimates in this report.
(5) Parkin g
Parking is an integral part of the whole transportation plan.
No cost estimates, though, have been included to provid e the
parking contemplated for the transportation facilitics of 1980.
The problem is mainly to accommodate the parking demand in

Another section of existing road requiring upgrading to accom-

modate the 1980 traffic projections is a portion of Saskatchewan
I Drive between University Avenue and 122nd Street in the vicinity
of the Grand view Subdivision. This is presently a two-lane
road way. Cost estimates have been included to make this a four
I lane traffic artery.
Intersection improvements are included in the detail work
the central business district and make p rovision for any park a nd
ride that may result from the implementation of a rapid transit
system. Volume 1 of the METS report has dealt with the amount
of parking required to meet the 1980 traffic demands based on
variOlls assumptions as to transit ridership.
TABLE 1
1980 PARKfNG SPACE REQU IREMENTS IN CENTRAL STUDY AREA

I program for the freeways and for the arterial road improvements
descri bed above. There are, though, in addition two intersection
improvements on the Croat Road, one at 107th Avenue and the
(CSA)
From Projection Stable Rate Increased Rate
of Auto Use of Transit of Transit
other at 111th Avenue which are necessary to a llow these traffic
I arteries to carry the 1980 volumes. The 1980 program and cost
estim ates include the nccessary improvements to eliminate the
Type of User
Worker
Trends
18,800
Usage
17,700
Usage
14,500
Shopper 3,200 3,200 ~900
traffic c ircles and provide a facility of high enough capacity to 6,000
I develop the full potential of the approach roadways. These two
intersection improvements have a high priority attached to them
Other Patron
Total
7,000
29,000
(Proportion of all CSA
6,700
27,000 23,400

and would undoubtedly be considered for the fi rst two or three pc="-bi~,
by transit): (27%)
I years of road improvement program. (23%) (35%)

23
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 The central business district study ( Chapter X City General
Plan ) made detailed recommendations as to the distribution of
parking in the central business district. As p lans for the central
area become more definitive and with a clear policy on parking
established, adequate parking ShOllld be developed, both public
and private, in the central study area. M the express bus system
is implemented, parking facil ities for downtown employees may
be developed at the on-ramps of Freeways and at certain out-
lying locations providing "park-and-ride" scrvice to downtown.
(6) Truck ROl/tes
It is anticipated that most of the freeway and expressway system
and the major arterial streets will be truck routes and will provide
adequate distribution and access for truck movement throughout
the City 01' into the City centre. Truck routings may present a
problem during the stage construction of the various facilities.
The long range p lanning of tllC major h'aHic arteries contem-
plated will allow business and industry to be established in
relation to these routes and residential development to be accom-
modated by constructioll techniques, such as adequate right-of-
way widths, landscaping and planting, etc.
THE REGIONAL ROAD SYSTEM
The foregoing has described th e freeways and the arterial street
improvements necessary to provide an adequate network of
collectors and distributors to serve th e 1980 traffic demands.
Reference should now be made to the regional road system
(Figure 4) which shows how the freeways, expressways and maior
arterials are integmted with the main h ighway system and the
main district nual roads.
In the land use. population, and employment studies the mban
population within a 20 mile radius of Edmonton was included
in the projections and fi gured in the 1980 assignmen t of traffi c
volumes. The trips outside of the area defined as the Metropolitan
Study area, which included the Lltemational and Naruao Airports,
were dealt with as external trips. Tilis included tlle purely high-
24
way traffic in addition to the commuter and other traffic from
the District Towns of FOit Saskatchewan, Leduc, Morinville,
Spruce Crove, Stony Plain and Devon. Although not a high per-
centage of the total veh icle trip destinations in 1961 , they contain
a higherJ'roportion of heavy trucks than the internal traffic move-
ment an these external trips vall' greatly in seasonal and hourly
Jeaks. A Sunday evening rush to the City is an example of the
Iligh peaks produced by this external traffic. They also have a
wide divergence in trip origins and widely diverse destinations
within the study area.
U was thus necessary to take into consideration the present
and future links between the roads within the meh'opolitan study
area and tllOse beyond, altllough th e study dealt in greater
detail towards the centre of the urban developed areas, where
the largest volumes and greatest congestion problems exist. To
produce an integrated system it was necessary to give some study
to the main highways approaching Edmonton and the district
highways in the rural al'ea adjacent to the City.
The Regional Plan presented in Figure 4 provides for inter-
connection between all main highway routes approaching
Edmonton and for the distribution of the external traffi c to and
from pOints within the built-up urban area. As explained
previollsly the urban pattenl of road network is based on a grid
system and this is extended into the adjoining rural municipalities
as a grid to fit into the network of road allowances provided by
the land survey system lISed in Alberta.
T he location of the connecting highways and the l'ural district
roads shown in Figlll'e 4 have not been researched to the same
extent that the freeways and major arterials within the urban
area have been studied. The locations shown are considel'ed as
physically feasible routes Erom an engineering point of view and
the arrangement and connections they offer to the freeways,
expressways and major arterial streets are considered to be
desirable. However, the route locations could vary from those
shown after detailed location SUl'veys, right-oF-way acquiSition
studies, and the consideration of factors related to staging and
highway decisions extemal to the study program are made.
I
I The anticipated traffic volumes for 1980 on Highway 16 west On figure 4 two possible future bridge locations are shown.

I indicate the necessity for providing a high capacitr highway

facility commensurate with the availahle capacity 0 the Mac-
Kinnon Ravine Freeway. This would require proper access control
along the highway west of the present city limits and the provision
I of a six lane high standard fac ility.
Resort tralJic from the west on weekends whicb even at the
I present time exceeds the nonna! weekday volumes on this high-
way by about 100% could require additional highway capacity.
This may be accomplished by the designation and improvement
Neither of these would be required within the 1980 program. The
decision as to which site should be selected or whether both will
be needed can be finalized when the transportation study is next
up-dated.
No cost estimates have been included in the report for roads
beyond the proposed future road network shown in Figure 2. It
is impolfant that an early decision be made as to the final location
01' these connecting routes so that right-of-way acquisition may
be started early and the municipalities affected know that their

I of additional external routes as shown on Figure 4 (extension of

H Bth Avenue and 79th Avenue). This network would serve a
efforts are directed towards producing an integrated system of
ruml and urban highway facilities.
twofold purpose;
Sh own on the regional road map ( Figure 4), although not
I ( 1 ) Provide additional highway capacity
considered in the traffic pattern, scenic roads were studied as a
part of the regional road plan. These were suggested to follow a
(2) Disperse external traffic to the urban road network location parallel and on both sides of the river extending from
I A Cajlacity deficiency is apparent when the anticipated 1980
Devon on the south to Fort Saskatchewan on the north . Routes
were selected for these scenic roads from maps, aerial photographs
and field tri.ps. It was found that by making use of existing rights-
extema volumes are applied to the now existing Highway No.2
I South faCility. Two possible alignments for additional highway
connection to the mal'or urban road network are shown on Figure
of-way with some stretches of new construction, n continuous
road along each side of the river could be achieved which would
ultimately allow ready access to viewpoints, recreational areas,
4. ( Extension of Mi I Creek Freeway and South Freeway.) I n
picnic spots, and also serve the new subdivisions and rural popu-
I order to accommodate the anticipated 1980 external volumes to
the south these high way routes should be planned and constructed
to a high standard, limited access type facility.
lations in these areas. The locations shown should be considered
as tentative since the study of the River Valley for parks and
recreatio n may influence details of route selection.
I A possible fuhue alternate highway connection is shown on an
alignment on the extension of the 142nd Street.
The standard contemplated for these scenic roads is that of
a two lane paved road with a moderate standard of grades and

I The projected 1980 volumes for the external highway facilities

to the east of the City indicate the need for upgrading these routes
curvature. They would provide a pleasant drive from Edmonton
to Devon and return or Edmonton to Fort Saskatchewan and
return through a variety of scenery with maximum access to the
to high standard, limited access facilities. valley of the North Saskatchewan River.
I
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25
I
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I C h apter live

I MASS PASSENGER TRANSPORTATION

I SOME VALUES OF TRANSIT with minimum disruption to the w'ball form and function. It
is this characteristic which has made possible the extremely ex-
I SOUND PRI NCIPLES of urban transpOitation planning dictate
that the fullest feasible use be made of mass transit facil ities tensive use of the land in downtown Manhattan and in Chicago's
Loop. While such concentrations are far beyond the scale foreseen
for the movement of passengers in Edmonton during th e coming
decades of growth and development. There are a number of for Edmonton, the City's desire for dense, compact development
I cogent reasons why this should be true. in its central area presupposes the fullest practicable use of transit.
Not only does transit help to avoid the disruption of lhe
As a matter of public policy, the community of Edmonton urban structure, but it also offers an economic form of trans-
I has chosen a course of action intended to achieve a very high
concentration of employment opportunities and 5elvices at
the City's ccntre. This in turn will lead to an increasing demand
portation when adequately patronized. Patent1y the least cost
for transportation is incurred when 50 to 100 persons are carried
i.n a single vehicle, when this vehicle is eFrectively used hour
I for travel to and from the cen tre, the amount and nature of
th is future transportation need bav~f~ been set forth in the
preceding publications by METS. c decision in favor of
after hour and when extensive facilities are not required for its
storage ( parking ). When such least cost service satisfies the
public needs and desires, and the level of usage is commensurate
concentration, as distinguished from the more dispersed growth
I patterns appearing ill many North American cities, in itself
dictates It focus ing of attention toward transit since the role
with its potential capacity, this service should be provided.
I n view of its modest consumption of W'ban land, the potential
of mass carriers today is chiefly one of handling the large low cost of its service and the needs of celtain citizens who are
I volumes of travel which are focused on points of dense develop-
ment.
completely dependent on it, transit must be an integral part
of a balanced transportation system in medium and large urban
areas.
It has already been noted that a single transit lane has a
I passenger-carrying capacity five to twelve times as great as a
lane devoted to the private automobile. Because of this ability
ACTION ON TRANSIT NEEDED NOW
to carry large quantities of passengers on relatively narrow rights- Studies of Edmonton's economy disclose that the area is likely
I of-way, transit is capable of serving foci of intense development to experience continued rapid growth for at least the next 20

27
I
I
years. This growth pred iction presupposes that an adequate
transportation system will be available to satisfy the needs for
movem ent of cargo and persons which is so essential to the
daily life of the community. There is no satisfactory alternative
to the provision of adeq uate transportation; it has to be provided
if growth is to occur in the quantity anticipated and in the
pattern desired. Much of the demand for expanded transpOIta-
tion in Edmonton can be met best by facilities for the motor
vehicle.
Freeways Essential Btlt A Threat
Nearly tluee-fomths of the daily travel now consists of a
complex crisscross of movements between various parts of the
Metropolitan Area exclusive of the city centre, and this type
of movement will double in the llext 20 years. Such a multiplicity
of movements between a wide variety of origins and destinations
can be handled most effectively by the private motor vehicle.
In view of this, a highway system is being recommended which
bas as its basic framework five multi-purpose freeways.
By virtue of their location and interconnections, these free-
ways can perfOlm three vital transportation fun ctions. First, they
will accommodate much of the cross-town interchange between
the segments of the city served by the freeways. Second, by
virtue of the fact that these freeways wiII pass close to the cenb'e
of the city, they also can accommodate the autos and truclcs
travelling to and from the city's centre. Third, by passing near
th e city's ccntre, these freeways will perform the clitically im-
portant task of diverting away from the downtown area a large
part of the through traffic which now constitutes approximately
half of the traffic burden on the downtown streets. F or th ese
reasons the construction of the freeway system is critically im-
portant, but its existence will pose a threat to transit while
offeling it an opportunity,
Making Tmnsit More Competitive to At/to
As is generally obvious and as researcll b y METS confirmed,
the private automobile and public b'ansportatioll are in fact
28
competing passenger tJ'anspOlt systems, Although a nunlber of
factors infl uence the citizens' choice between the automobile
or transit, one of the most potent is relative travel time, As the
time differential favoring the p rivate automobile increases. there
is a predictable tendency for the public to shift from mass
transit to the automobile.
In view of the significance of relative b'avel times, there would
he a predictable effect on transit of developing an urban trans-
portation system that was largely or entirely oriented to the
private automobile, If increasing amounts of time can be saved
by lIsing the automobile, an increasing proportion of the citizens
will come to rely on this fonn of transportation especially as
the ownership of autos becomes more widespread, E xperience
in Edmonton during the past 15 years has indicated an apparent
relationship between the availability of the automobile and the
usc of transit. Since 1945 the rate of automobile ownership has
bipled , while tl1e rate of transit riding h as dropped more than
50 percent. Research done by ME TS established relationships
between t ransit patronage and such factOl's as availability of the
plivate automobile, time differential between transit and auto
and average family income, Other detenninants which might
affect transit ridership include cost and availability of downtown
parking, level of service and cost of fares, If the only tran s~
portation developments in Edmonton are to be the construction
of freeways, the transit system will suffer a severe, if not ir~
reparable, setback.
The transit system in Edmonton was carrying 35 percent
more passengers in 1950 than it is today. One course of action
might 'be to accept this trend by taking no remedial action to
counteract it. Such a course of action would be inconsistent with
a policy favoring greater transit usage. It is impractical to defer
action on transit until the time when a growing demand for
its service clearly d ictates improvements in the system, Under
these circumstances, a growing demand for tran sit is h ighly
unlikely to appear; instead, potential patrons will have sought
other fOlms of transportation. And once they have made other
arrangements for t ravel, it will be most difficult for transit to
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recapture morc than a small percentage hy any feaSible program the complete transportation operation. On the other band, if
I of transit improvement. Thi.~ means that transit's hope is to retain
its present patronage while. by improvements to the system, it
seeks to caphu'c its Fair share of the new mal'kef: for passenger
the line haul is short, the time consumed in collection, distribu-
tion and transfers may be fAT more critical than line haul speed .
These relationships underline the necessity for defining the sig-
sClVice as the Metropolitan Area grows. The achievement of a nificance of the line haul in Edmonton during the next ten to
I balall ced transportation system therefore d ictates that action be
initiated now in the transit field gencrnlly paralleling needed
twenty years.
action in the field of private transportation. In U161, 82.7 percent of the mebopolital1 ropulation resided
I NATURE OF ACTION REQUIRED ON TRANSIT
within four miles of the heart of the ccntra business district.
As would be expected under these circumstances. the average
To identify the action which may be most fl'l1itFul, the transit length of trip from home to the centre of the city was quite
I operation shou1d be analyzed in its component parts. As in most
transportation operations, the transporting of passengers in Ed-
short. In fact, the distance "as the crow fl ies" for work-b'ips
by transit averaged 2.3 miles. The average time required for such
trips starting from the moment when the person left his home
monton involves three steps-collection, line halll, and distribu-
until he alighted from the bus in the downtown area averaged
I tion . The nature of each of these phases has a bearing on the
attractiveness of the total transit service in E dmonton . 26.9 minutes. The proportion of the total h'ip-time which was
devoted to line haul outside the congested distribution area at
It has been noted that tIle time differential between travel by the centre was approximately 20 to 30 percent.
I private auto and travel by transit is a major factor in detemlining
choice of mode. In this connection, travel t ime includes the entire
operation of collection, hau l and distribution. Tn other words, th is
In 1980. 57.6 percent of the urban population is expected to
reside within the same fom-mile radius. This presents a rather
is total portal-to-portal tjme. In a system where the facilities for
I collection and d ishibution are different from the line haul equip-
ment, total portal-to-portal time may be composed of the foll ow-
unusual situation which is highly pertinent to transit planning.
It commonly is found that residential arcas near the city's centre
tend to deteriorate, and the downtown-oriented population con-
ing parts: sequently migrate outward to the fringes of the city or to the
I Time required to walk to collector or feeder.
Time waiting for collector vehicle.
suburbs. But this is not expected to happen in Edmonton; even
in face of a doubling of the metropolitan population, nearly one-
Time riding on collector. fourth of it sull will reside within two miles of the "100 percent
I Time for transfer from collector vehicle to line haul vellicle.
Travel time on line haul vehicle.
cornel''' and 86.5 percent will be foun d within a 6-mile radius
in 1980. Further, the close-in population will be strongly down-
Time for transfer between line haul vehicle and distribution town-oriented as evidenced by the nature of the high rise ap3lt -

I vehicle.
Travel time on distribution vehicle.
Walking time to final destination .
ment b ui ldings now being erected and by the high caliber of the
residential communities along the river and near the University.
Not only is the nature of the line haul operation dictated by
I In any individual city, the general nature of the passenger
transit system is to a large extent detelmined by the nature of
speed requirements, but it also is a reflection of capacity require-
ments. The capacity needed in an urban passenger transpOltation
the line haul and the kind of equipment it requires. If the line system increases with the density of residential development and
I haul is long, its travel speed may be the most critical factor in its organization into elongated corridors. Unlike one-sided water-

29
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fl'Ollting cities, such as Chicago, downtown Edmonton will draw
its wOI'I{crs and patrons from all points of the compass. Though
there wi.1l be some emphasis on travel from the southwest and
northeast ( as illush'flted in F igm e 3), traffic approaching the
centre wiJI be distributed rather unifonnly with no very domi nant
lligb density corridor.
As far as the conditions obtainin g 15 OJ' 20 years hence can
be foreseen today, the short length of trip to the city's cenb'c
gencmlly negates the need for extremely high ~ pccd for the line
haul. I n the absence of conidors of major density, the need is
not apparent for a type of service offering a one-way hourly
capacity of 20,000 to 30,000 passengers per lane. Rathel', the
elements of collection and distribution will assume equal im-
pOItance with line haul. This indicates the desirability of an
urban passenger transportation system for the next 10 to 20
years possessing the following characteristics:
A distribution system at the City's center whose cfficiency is
maximized through relief f!"Om sbcet traffic interferences
and delays.
Complete opcration----collection, line haul, and distribntion
-perfonned as far as possible wi.th the same vehicle to
avoid the time loss and inconvenience of transferring.
The private automobile encouraged to serve as a collector
or feeder to the bansit operation .
Transit speeds on tllC line haul which compare favorably
with the performance of the private automobile.
EXPRESS BUS SYSTEM
The specification calling for collection, haul, and distribution
to be perfonned as far as possible without transfers between
different types of vehicles largely restricts (..'OnsideratiOI1 to some
fOlm of bus operation fOf the next decade or longCl'. The other
specifications make it equally clear that the bus operation must
be something different from the one existing today in E dmonton
in which buses must compete with autos for the opportunity to
move on the frequently congested surface streets. Instead, an
cxpress bus system is proposed which will utilize the freeway
30
system and the major arterial strcet systcm. Some of its chief
operating characteristics would be:
The bus would circulate through a residential area collect~
ing passcngers. When it has gathered a proper load, it would
proceed directly to the nearest freeway and run non-stop to
the City's center.
Where major cross~town bus routes intersect the freeway,
tranfer stations would be provided on th e freeway right-
of~way, pennitting tbe express bus to pull clear of the
express lanes and pick up transfelTing passcngers.
PerSOIlS walking to the express route would be picked up
at the transfer stations.
To encourage the automobile to serve as a collector for the
express bus, parking facilities would be created at certain on ~
ramps to the freeways. Buscs then would circulate through
the parking area to cany the auto's occupants to the City's
ccntre.
None of these feahlres of express bus operation are new; one
or more have been tested in various cities. Parkin g facilities along
the outcr extremities of bus routes have been tested in cities
such as St. Louis and Wasllington, D.C.
In Chicago for many years buses have coUected their pass-
engers and proceedcd to the Lake Shore Drive and continued
nonstop for the full length of the Drive. Freeways in several
cities have incorporated interchange designs which allow buses
to pull off th e express lanes to load or unload passengers, Los
Angcles presenting an example. A number of cities have under
study bus rapid transit systems to hc operated on their freeways
whcn completed. But Ilonc yet have desigllcd and instituted sueh
a system complete in all dctails as is now recommended for
Edmonton. Alld therefore it is recommended that tlle research
now being carried out in other cities be closely sllldied so th at
the most effective system can be instituted in Edmonton.
Value of Metering F,eetooy USB
A major deterrent to the express bus system has been, in the
past, the fa ct that numerous urban freeways become saturated
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during evening peak hours, allowing the bus to travel little if any for bus operation within the hruiness district, transit distribution
I faster on the freeway than Oil parallel surface streets. The concept
of building additional freeway lanes for the exclusive use of the
bus has not been accepted, partly for economic reasons and
today is largely concentrated on Jasper Avenue. And during the
peak hours, the bus volumes on Jasper are approach ing capa-
city limits under the present traffic control measures. Jt is
partly because of design and operational difficulties which such evident, therefore, that much of the advantage of rapid line haol
I exclusive lanes would entail. Now it is widely recognized that
effective e;(press bus operation could be achieved most readily
on the freeways will be lost unless improved trousit distribution
fuci lities are provided in the area enclosed by the proposed
if a metJlod could be found for avoiding peak hour overloads downtown distributor ring, this being the area generally bounded
I which reduce the speed of all t raffic on the freeways. TIlis
can be accomplishcJ by regulating or metering the quantity of
by J04th and 99th Avenues and by 97th and l OOth Streets. As is
diSCUSsed later, the downtown distribution system can evolve
traffic entering the freeway so that the total volume on the through a number of useful stages.
I express lanes is held just below the critical point at which satur-
ation, slowdown or stoppage occurs. Several cities are now doing
research for the purpose of developing techniques for surveillancc
A point will be reached during the growth of Edmonton
and its centTal area when the distribution of t ransit passengers
and metering of freeway usage. It is considered certain that cannot be accommodated on surface streets with the desired
I sUiveillance and metering techniques will receive widespread
support and and adoption in the neal' futul'e.
level of efficiency. Before this point is reached, Edmonton
should have studied, designed and built a transit distribution
system located either below 0 1' above the present street level.
I In Edmonton outlying parking facilities along the (reeways
would cffectively complement the metering system. By suita ble
design of on-ramps whose usage would be scrutinized by detect-
This off. grade distributor would accommodate a significant
portion of the transit operation, though much bus service,
especially local runs, would continue to operate at the slufnce
ing devices, buscs would be granted priority of entry onto the
I freeways. Immediately adjacent to this entry point would be a
parking facility through which the bus could circulate to pick
street level.
The decision to locate the transit distributor eithcr above or
up the occupants of autos whose entry into the freeway has been below street level should be based on a careful study of con-
I delayed by the metering p rocess. Such a metering system cou ld
be oJ>erable only during the peak hours and only when saturated
struction and operating costs, effects on real estate values,
aesthetic considerations, compatibility with downtown fun ctions
conditions on the freeways appear to be impending. At other and designs, and similar involved questions. it is recognized
I times the freeway would be available for unrestricted usc of
both buses and private vehicles.
that there would be strong resistance to elevated structures
placed above downtown streets; in recent years, elevated struc-
tures are being removed rather than added. With skillful des i J~n ,
Distribution System At City Centre however, it should be possible to create a system extendmg
I With the collection and line haul function being handled as des-
cribed in the preceding paragraphs, the remaining eleme nt of
through the centres of blocks or even through b uildings them
selves. Figure 12 shows a possible schcme for such an elevated
Edmonton's bus rapid transit system yet requiring attention is the distributor system. On the other hand, a distributor placed helow
I distribution system in the central area. Today, buses begin to
encounter traffic delays at the outer end of the river bridges and
the street level may prove more readily acceptable becausc of its
lesser potential impact on land and business values and on urban
continue with serious traffiC confHcts throughout moch of the design nnd could in the future be incorporated into ,a rail rapid
I downtown area. Partly because of the limited availability of streets trilllsit system . Chaptet X of the General Plnn, 'Downtown

31
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Edmonton," anticipates that a major part of the transit distribu
tor will be below grade in a tunnel generally under l02nd
Avenue. as shown on Figure 13. In this location, it would be
integrated with an evolving network of wlderground pedestrian
ways and planned access to new buildings. Continued intensive
study of the downtowll distribution requirements is strongly
recommended with adequate atteotion to matters of land and
business econom ics, architectural and urban design. construction
and operating costs, and the long-range value of the transit
facilities themselves.
In general tClms, it is felt that there will be a measurcable
long-range benefit in combining transit and freeways on a single
system of rights-of-way. Together they will aHer tl'llly Ii high
concentration of efficient transportation service which over a
period of years should prove to be effective in guiding the dis-
tribution and density of land developments in the Edmonton area.
If this is achieved, and there is pertinent government controls,
Edmonton may assume a f 01'111 during the de<:ades to come which
is highly servablc by transportation and yet does not consul11e
excessive amounts of transportation service in order to maintain
a high level of urban activity.
STAGING OF TRANSIT DEVELOPMENT
One of the strong virtucs of the express bus concept is that
it penn its development in useful stages and evolution in accord-
ance with demand. However, where Ereeways are to be used
the staging of their construction will be a limitation 011 the
development of the exQrcss bus system. On transit's behalf,
initial attention should be directed toward the City's centre.
Since half the tmffic found on the downtown streets consists of
cross-town or through movement, the first step should be to
eliminate as much of this traffic as possible by the expeditious
development of the downtown distributor ring as proposed in
the Downtown Plan. It consists of l04th - I03A Avenue on the
north, 97th Street on the east, either 97th, 99th, or lOOth Avenue
on the south, and looth Street on the west. Which portions of this
ring should be improved first depends OD decisions regarding
priol'ity of freewa y constrllction. This distributor ring can aid for
32
IIwhile in by-passing traffic unrelated to the City's centre pending
the construction of the freeway ring. When freeways are built,
they will assume more of the by-pass function, leaving the dis.
tributor ring of surface streets more free to serve the central area.
Simultaneously with the development of the distributor ring, lhe
traffic system within the business area should be modified to
allow more effi cient bus operation. Initial steps toward this gool-
mnttel's wbich already have been proposed in tbe Downtown
Plan---should include :
Special transit Janes on Jasper Avenue.
A one-way couplet with proper traffic control on 103 - l02A
and l02nd Avenue.
Transit lanes in each d irection on 102nd Avenue.
Elimination of curb parking on sections of lOOth llnd lOist
5tl-oet whe re there are th e highest concentrations of bus
traffic.
Peak hour pal'king restrictions and special t ransit lanes call
then be extended to major access streets to downto"ffl.
Outlying parking: units 011 certain on-ramp locations and at
the extremities of the freeways may have quite limited capacity
initially, expanding progressively as warranted by usage. Years
hence when the quantity of traffic on one or more freeways be-
comes great enough during peak how's to produce a speed
reduction to something less than 30 to 40 miles an hour, 0. system
of metering would be applied granting priority in freeway access
to transit vehicles.
With staged development of this type, the express bus system
can oHcr high ultimate capacity with extremely great flexibilities.
With buses operating on the freeways just like any other vehicle
---contmuous movement without stopping on the express lanes-
there Is no reasonable limit to the number of b uses that could
be accommodated on a system of five radial Ereeways. Two or
three hundred buses moving in one dire<:tion in nn hour on
each artery would present no problem of traffic operations, yet
with 50 passengers per bus, they could afford a very great trans-
port9.tion capacity. Tlle critical matter, aside from th e cost of
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constructing the freeways, will be the creation of sufficient dis- outside the Edmonton city limits, but financed as a part of the
I tribution capacity at the City's centre. overall system. The capacity of the arterial streets and of the
distribution system in the central area could be materially affected
ADMINISTRATION OF THE TRANSIT SYSTEM by differences ill operating plans and schedules by UlU'eJatcd
I As Edmonton embarks on the development of a morc sophis-
ticated passenger transit system, study should be given to a
transit managements. For such reasons as these, it appears essen-
tial that the detailed planning for transit development include a
thoughtful analysis of administrative and management require-
closer integration of the services now being offered by several
I different transit agencies or bus companies. A number of clements
in the transit operation may be handled much more effectively
ments.

In developing a ba1anced transportation system, due considera-

with closer coordination at the management level and virtual
tion should be given to the general economic benefits of having
I integration at the operational level. The planning of collection
routes prior to the entry of the bus onto arterial streets and free-
ways may involve routes partially in the suburbs and partjally
an cfficient public transportation system. An important considera-
tion Is the degree to which such a system call attract riders and
in the city. Feeder service will require coordination with the thereby reduce the demands for use of the private automobile.
I express service both as to schedule and capacity provided . The
l?ropor utilization of certain express runs within the City may
The developemnt of an overall transportation policy should con-
sider wheth er the public lranspol'tation system should be expected
dictate the institution of collector runs outside the City which to operate as a self-supporting utility or whether general revenue
I othelwise might not be economically warranted. Outlying park-
ing facilities in conjwlction with the fl'ecway may be best locatcd
from the community as a whole should be used to assure a high
level of service.

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33
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I Chapter six

I COST ESTIMATES

I THIS CHAPTE R sets out estimates of the cost of implementing

the bllnspOl'tation plan recommended to mcct the 1980 demands,
and be separated from the running lanes by a depressed gutter.
Medians and side slopes would be sodded.
(see Table 2). The estimates of cost do not include any amounts
I lor minor improvements such as signs, signals, and channelization
at intersections. The costs of street widening or highway con-
There is provision in the cost estimate for landscaping and
planting, and it is anticipated that the Parks Department will
struction within the central business district, public transportation carry out their present policy of preserving or producing beauly
I and parking facilities, have not been included in this report. No
a llowance has been made in the cost e~1:jmates fo r the salvage
spots along the highway right-of-way. Adequate right-of-way
would be provided in most locations to allow heavy planting to
value of buildings or the resale value of portions of lots that act as a sound ban'ier to absorb traffi c noises. Beam type guard

I would not be used for highway conslrucUon. No cost item has

been included for damage claims or claims for injurious effects.
These items will have to be assessed during the preliminary
engineering design, at which time problems of loss of access, in-
I convenience, etc. can be worked out in detail.
The criteria used in the preparation of the road plans in this
I re-port are those shown in the Association of State Highway
Officials, Policy on Arteria! Highways in Urban Areas 1957, and
the Standard Specifications for Highway Bridges 1961. The
rails h ave been provided 011 fills , and where the median widths
are less th an 16 feet double faced bcam type guard rails have
heen provided.
The unit costs used in making the estimates represent prices
which are currently (1962) being tendered on this type of work
in the Edmonton area. Tlle pro\>erty acquisition costs have been
ohtained from the City Assessor s oHice and arc based on assess-
ment fi gures ad justed whem necessary by the judgment of the
City Assessors Depaltment and the City Land Department. The

I typical freeway cross-sections used have been shown in Figure 1.

In genera l, concrete pavement with a soil cemenl base would

be used for the freeways, expressways, arterial streets and ramps
I and these would have an asphalt wearing surface. The fl"Ontage
roads would be constructed of concrete base only and have an
asphalt wearing surface. Freeways would be provided with
I stopping lanes which would be surfaced with asphalt materials
property acq uistion costs for the portions of U1C Freeway in
Jasper Place were obtained from the Town of Jasl>er Place.
Since the total cost picture is presented in Table 2, it is
appropriate to point out that this transportation plan represents
a construction program to meet the traffic demands estimated fm
the next seventeen years with rights-of. way adequate to look
after traffic demands for many years in the future.

35
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 The total cost as a lump sum figure may seem high, but if we Careful planning based on factual research along with some vision
look back at what has happened in the past twent y years in the can provide a reasonably sure solution to the region's future
development of travel in the Edmonton area, this program for transportation problems.
the next seventeen years will not seem too visionary or too bold.

36
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I Chapter seven

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS
I
I THE PLANS submitted herein have been presented to the Tech-
nical Committee of the Metropolitan Transportation Committee
at various stages of their deveJopment for discussion. They now
on which Edmonton was originally laid out and provides good
access to the City centre from all parts of the Metropolitan area.
The downtown freeway loop, connecting all of the freeways
provide a goal for the municipalities making up the Edmonton
I District Planning Commission to work towards, in order to
achieve a comprehensive transportation system.
feedi ng into it, gives the crosstown traffic a good opportunity to
by~pass the central area so as not to add to the congestion of the
streets in the central business district. Cood access has been

I It mtlst be remembered in reviewing the plans that the

freeways and major street route alignments and interchange
provided from the downtown freeway 1001) into the central
business district to handle the projected 1980 (emands adequately
and with some reserve. These access locations and the internal
locations have been worked out with a minimum of detailed distribution in the downtown have been integrated with the
I study. The alignments of the proposed routes represent the best
engineering judgments based on ground studies, office studies of
central bUSiness district plan. In addition to the downtown free
way loop, an inneI' distributor ring is provided around the city's
topographical maps, aerial photographs, and other engineering core, as well as several other ring routes further out from the
I aids. Tnterchange locations have been sketch ed to show their
con fi guration and spacing and to show the provisions for access
to and from major arteries. Tlle final detailed designs of the
downtown area. Beyond th ese a grid system of perimeter roads
is planned .
Connections of the freeways to the main highway system give
I freeways and their interchanges witll each otJler and with the
major arterial streets are subject to further refinement and more
accurate definition in the engineering studies th at should be made
traffic from the rural highways a good route to the City centre,
and provide for by~pass movements (Tom one main highway to
another. Adequate p rovision is made for the distribution to all
after the acceptance in principle of the overall plan.
I parts of the urban area from an y of the main highways
approaching the City.
The principal ai.m throughout the planning of this system was
I REVIEW OF THE RECOMMENDED HIGHWAY PLAN

111e highway system has been projected on Edmonton's existing

to produce a network of roads that could be readi.ly claSSified into
well defined fu nctional arrangements. The pattern of freeways,
street grid. The general location of the proposed freeways, expressways and arterial streets is laid out so as to be easily
1 expressways, and major arterial s treets, follows the grid system understood and followed.

37
 The arterial .Toads both major and minor shown in the Plan
provide fo r good distribution of traffi c within the urban area and
are laid out in such a way as to allow future extensions to serve
growth beyond lhe limits of the proposed development for 1980.
Additional perimeter roads can be added beyond the 1980 period,
and the freeways can be extended outward as development and
traHic demands dktate.
REVIEW OF THE RECOMMENDED TRANSIT PLAN
It is recommended that an express b us system be developed
utilizing the freeway system and the major arterial streets. At
s~ch time as peak hour overloads become a problem, metering
freeway use to give priority to the buses will assure a high
speed express bus service. Provision of parking lots at the per-
imeter of tho freeway system and at celtnin on-ramp locations
along the freeways will encourage peop le to park and ride buses
to the downtown area.
To assure satisfactory bus operation in the downtown area
several improvements are recommended including bypassing of
through traffic, special transit lanes, one-way couplets and
elimination of cmb p:l1'king. These steps should be satisfactory
for about a decade after which a transit distribution system either
below or above the present street level will be needed in the
downtown area.
Tn order to allow planning and conll'ols to be instituled, it
38
would be advisnble to make a decision within the next few years
on whether such a system will be above or below ground level.
SUMMARY OF COST ESTIMATES
The estimates shown in Table 2 indicate that the recommended
freeway plan will involve a total expenditure of approximately
$92,500,000.
In addition the cost of the major new perimeter roads, excluding
their railway grade separations, will be approximately
$12,500,000. The cost of new bridges and their road connections
other than those required for freeway facilities, has been esti-
mated at approximately $8,000,000. The cost of railway grade
separation structures and their road connections, other than on
freeways is estimated at approximately $8,000,000. It has also
been estimated that, with minor traffic improvements excluded,
an additional expenditure of aPPl'Oximately $12,500,000 will be
required to upgrade the present arterial sb"eet system. This makes
a total highway program of $133,500,000 for the next seventeen
years, or about $7,800,000 per year.
It should be noted that the above estimates do not include the
items referred to in the first paragraph of Chapter six. Also,
the total cost figures given do not show the conb'ibutions that
would be available from the Provincial or F ederal Governments
through various grants including winter works grants or grants
from the railway grade crossing hllld. The cost figures thus do not
represent the net cost to the municipalities.
 I
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I Chapter eight

I IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PLAN

I THIS CHAPTER deals ill general temlS with the matter of the feeding traffic into the downtown area should be built. The
programming and staging of construction in order to implement downtown freeway loop could then be started and constrllcted
by stages to have the complete &eeway system in operation by
I the recommended plan as well as some of the fin ancial implica-
tions. The scope and procedure study carried out prior to 1980. A program such as this would allow consb'uction to foUow
the "corridors" of present hi~h traffic volumes and would be
the start of METS suggested that of the overall plan of
ready to serve the "corridors ' of high volumes anticipated in
I improvements required for 1980 a five year program of con-
struction be recommended initially. This question of the deter-
mination of priorities, phasing and special interim treatment will
1980.

The large volume of work ou tlined in the plan cannot be

be dealt with i.n this report in a general way. The details would
I morc appl'Opriately be presented after the plan has been accepted
as a complete transportation system.
completed all at once, so every effort should be made to stage
the outlay of fu nds so t1lat the expenditure per stage would be
about th e same, thus allowing the implementation of the plan
at a relatively uniform rate between now and 1980.
I It will be necessary. of course, to keep expanding and extending
the road system as urban development progresses beyond the The speed and sequence of construclion depend on many
present built-up area, so as to give aC<!ess to new neigh bourhoods. factors, but it is logical to endeavour to undertake those projects
I This should be done in the light of the overall plan presented in
this report. However, major congestion problems will occur in
that will be most rewarding early in the program. The first two
or three years progmm, after appmval of the recommendations
the vicinity of downtown and at the major bridge structures in the report, could be a start on the purchase of the right-of-way
I required to accommodate the cross river traffic. Thus it is
desirable to start the work program in these areas and work
outwards with road improvemeuts. There should be early con-
fo r the freeways, expressways and the major arterial roads as
well as traffic engineering improvements on the existing arterial
street's to improve locations where congestion now exists. The
struction of adequate cross connectors to look after the crosstown expenditures on intersection improvements and spot problems
I movement and avoid the high traffic volumes which will otber-
wise pass through the downtown area. The route:; making up the
would probably represent the greatest return on the dollars spent
on any part of the program of work. If these expend itures are
made in the light of the recommended overall plan, they will pay
I
downtown inner distributor ring should be upgraded early in the
constmction program. The construction of some of the routes greater dividends than a similar expenditure on one 0 1' two large

39
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projects. The intersection improvements suggested could involve
additional signal lights, construction of channels at intersections
and minor stroot widening. Some fairly major construction
projects, such as the elimination of the traffic circles on the
Groat Road, at l07th and Illth Avenues, could be included in
the first two or tliree year program. Some of the many railway
grade separation projects recommended in the report could also
be included in the first two or three years of program, since for a
relatively small outlay by the Municipalities a large dollar volume
of work can be accomplished.
Since the provision of right-oF-way represents such a major
part of the recommended program, it would be desirable that once
the overall plan has been accepted and the recommended align-
ments approved, that steps be taken to protect and acquire these
necessary rights-of-way. A land plU'chase fund should be set up
so that property can be purchased well in advance of its require-
ment for the construction pl'Ogram.
Tt is more important to acquire at an early date rights-of-way
in areas now zoned commercial and multi-family than in those
areas presently zoned for single family dwellings.
STAGING OF FREEWAY CONSTRUCTION
In a major transportation plan of the magnitude proposed in
this report, it is essential that a rational I,rogram of staging
be prepared. It would be impractical to blli d the entire system
at one time an d, therefore. a scheme must be presented wherein
the system can be constructed in manageable and successive
stages, each of which perfonns a useful function by itself and
is within the fiscal ability of the community. Also a staging
program is necessary to allow inter-related projects to be planned
so as to minimize later confliction.
I n order to arrive at a system of priorities or staging, certain
basic criteria were used as a guide. These were as follows:
1. Need for the project:- Although tbe absolute need of
each Pl'Oject was examined, an additional consideration
was given to the Central Business District and priorities
40
were weighted towards solving the problems of access
and thl'Ough traffic needs in this concentrated central
area.
2. Cost.
3. Budgt!ta.ry limitations.
4. Feasibility of early attainment:-CoDsidel'ing public ac-
ceptability and availabiHty of right-of-way.
5. The requirement that a particular section of the system
be useable by itself and perform a useful function even
if the balance of the project should be delayed for some
time.
6. If major ch anges in land uses are contemplated such as
W'ban renewal, the priority of a route passing through
the area, may be varied accord ingly.
7. Other factors being equal, new facilities would have a
higher priority than facilities which merely replaced exis~
ing facilities.
B. Reasonable geographic distribution of projects.
9. Roadway facilities commensumte with distribution and
tenninal facilities to ensure that the total system would
J'emain in balance and large volwnes of traffic would
not, for example. be moved from a highly efficient ex-
pressway system onto an inadequate surface street system.
10. To provide practical continuity in the system.
Some of the above criteria may be somewhat conflicting. Due
to the difficulties of early attainment in terms of initial cost
and public acceptability, the staging has been revised in several
instances to provide a realistic sehedule of construction. The
South Freeway and portions of the D owntown Freeway Loop
have been considered in this category. Considering absolute need
only, th e South Freeway and the Downtown Freeway Loop
should be established as a high priority requirement. However,
due to thc difficulties which can be anticipated with regard to
high initial cost and property acquisition 011 the South Freeway,
I
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the allernative route utilizing the Mill Creek Ravine has been PRIORITY 1 (b) ( Estimated cost $5,880,000)
I proposed as the firs t stage of the freeway construction program.
The priority of some of the Downtown Freeway Loop system
has been revised according to these same conditions.
MacKinnon Ravine Freeway from the new bridge upstream
fl"Om the Low Level Bridge to 149th Street
BenefUs:
I Although these alternative routes have been chosen due to the
above considerations, the importance of the early planning of
1. Helps relieve the constriction caused by the river bend
(CSA destined trafHc from the west end ).
facilities such as the South Freeway and The Downtown Free-
2. Helps balance geographic distribution of the system.
I way Loop cannot be over emphasized. The acceptance of the
early programming of an alternate route such as the Mill Creek
Freeway should not substantially affect the need requirements
3. Relatively inexpensive to achieve.
4. Along with the pl;ority l (a) provides improved access
, of the South Freeway, but rather should provide adequate time
for proper p lanning and property acquisition. The recommended
to the CSA and the Government Cenler.
program of staging for th e proposed freeway system is presented PRIORITY 1 (c) (E stim ated cost $900,(00)
below: It is pointed out that some of the /lriOritieS established Extension of the Mill Creel< Freeway from Argyll Road (63
, for the system may have to be reassessed i any radical change Ave.) lo a major Highway No. 2 connection.
in th e projected rate and direction of development occurs. The
In order to provide an effective diversion of the extcmal
, priority numbers and subscripts correspond to the notat ions
shown on Figure 14. highway traffic from the existing 104th Street and 109th Street
arteries, it is recommended that the Mill Creek Freeway facility
be connected directly with the No. 2 highway south of the
PRIORITY 1 (a) ( E stimated cost $10,800,000) existing City limits, possibly in the vicin ity of Nisku. It should
I Mill Creek Freeway-Argyll Road (63 Ave./ to the new east-
west river bridge upstream from the Low Leve Bridge ( including
be noted that the estimated cost does not include the extension
of the freeway south of 45th Avenue, nor the 45th Avenue
bridge). This stage should include east-west connections at 76th Interchange.
I and 92nd Avenues as well as proper access facilities to the down-
town area.
Benefits:
1. Diverts a large portion of the external highway traffi c
from the existing 104th Street and 109th Street faci.lities,
I Benefits:
1. Pmvides additional bridge capacity to relieve the existing
thus postponing the need for improvements in these areas.
Low Level Bridge. 2. Provides a direct and high speed route for the external

I 2. Provides a new route for traffic to and from the south-

east portion of the City.
3. Provides additional access routes to downtown from the
I south side of the C.S.A.
4. Provides an alternate truck route.
I 5. Relatively inexpensive.
highway traffic (including International Airport traffic)
to the eSA.
3. Fl"Ovides an altemate route to the CSA for the fast
growing south-west residential area ( this would place a
heaVier emphasis on the 45th Avenue east-west route,
and would require the improvement to 45th Avenue con-
current with this stage.

41
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PRIORITY 1 (d) (Estimated cost $5,880,OCIO )
Extension of the MacKinnon Ravine Freeway from 149th
Street to the present interchange of Highway No. 16 at 170th
Street.
Benefits:
1. Amplifies the benefits of the Mill Creek Freeway and
the MacKinnon Ravine Freeway by providing continuity
from the Highway No. 2 South connection to Highway
No. 16 West.
2. Provides additional tenninal facilities, thereby increasing
capacity from the west on the MacKinnon Ravine Free-
way.
The completion of Stage 1, provides the following major
benefits:
1. A convenient by-pass route on a limited access high
speed facility for external highway traffic between high-
way No. 16 West and Highway No.2 South.
2. A convenient b'uck route which, for the most part, is
confined to non-residential areas, except fol' a portion
west of 149th Sbeet.
3. T ogether with the connection to 98th Avenue, to the
east, a convenient east-west through rOute by-passing
the CSA for internal and Highway 16 traffic.
4. A system which is complete in itself and can perform
a useful function even if the balance of the project
should be delayed for some time.
PRIORITY 2 ( Estimated cost $13,500,000 )
E ast Ring of Downtown Freeway Loop from Riverdale Inter-
change to 112th Avenue.
TIlls stage would require the ultimate construction of the
directional interchange at the south-eas t comer of the Downtown
Freeway Loop.
42
Benefits:
1. Additional bridge capacity to relieve the existing Dawson
Bridge for traffic destined to the north side of CSA
from the south-east.
2. A new access to the downtown area,
3. Additional capacity to the north-east area.
4. New by-pass for downtown and removal of a significant
portion of through traffi c,
5. Possibility of combining with the urban renewal project
being considered for this area.
6. Provides an extensinn of the north-south freeway system
( Mill Creek Freeway ) across the river and as far north as
112th Avenue, supplying relief to the north-south traffic.
Note: This project requires improved surface streets into
the downtown area for access.
PRIORITY 3 ( E stimated cost $27,500,000)
West Ring of Downtown Freeway Loop from l06th Avenue
to 82nd Avenue including New River Blidge.
Although this project may be constructed in two separate
phases, ( 1 ) 106th Avenue to 97th Avenue, including a connection
to the River Road and ( 2 ) the New River Bridge and the free-
way construction to 82nd Avenue, it must be realized that this
sect ion should be completed in order to fulfill n. useful fUilction.
Benefits:
1. Provides additional access to the downtown area.
2. Provides increased capacity for traffic from the south-
west across the river,
3. Improves access to the University.
4. Provides an alternate route b y-passing the CSA for the
north-south through traffic presently using 109th Street.
I
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PRIORITY 4 (a) ( Estimated cost $12,100,000 ) SUMMARY OF STAGING:

I North Ring of the Downtown Freeway Loop including the

extension to the North-East Freeway from looth Avenue to
Kingsway.
Pl'iority 1 (a) ( Estimated cost $10,800,000)
Mill Creek Freeway-Argyll Road (63rd Ave.) to the new
East-West River Bridge upstream from the Low Level Bridge
( including bridge) .
I Benefits:
1. Completes the downtown freeway loop. Priority 1 (b) ( Estimated cost $5,880,000)
MacKinnon Ravine Freeway from the new bridge upstream
2. Provides new access to the CSA. from the Low Level Bridge to 149th Street.
I 3. Provides additional CSA by-pass routes.
4. Extends the north-south major through route from Kings-
Priority 1 (c) (Estimated cost $900,000)
Extension of the Mill Creek Freeway from Argyll Road (63rd
way to Whyte Avenue. Ave.) to a major Highway No.2 connection. (Cost to 45th
[ 5. Provides additional capacities for north-west traffic to Avenue only, interchange excluded .)
CSA. Priority 1 (d) (Estimated cost $5,880,000)
Extension of the MacKinnon Ravine Freeway from 149til
I PRIORITY 4 (b) ( Estimated cost $7,250,000)
Street to the present interchange of Highway No. 16 at
170th Street.
Extension of the NOlth-East Freeway from 112th Avenue to Priority 2 ( E stimated cost $13,500,000 )
I 125th Avenue.
Benefits:
East Ring of Downtown Freeway Loop from Riverdale
Interchange to 112th Aven ue.
Provides additional capacity for traffic from the north-east. Priority 3 ( Estimated cost $27,500,000)

I PRIORITY 4 (el ( Estimated cost $2,400,000)

West Ring of Downtown Freeway Loop from l06th Avenue
to 82nd Avenue including New River Bridge.
Priority 4 (a) ( Estimated cost $12,100,000 )
Extension of South Freeway from \Vhyte Avenue to 61st North Ring of Downtown Freeway Loop including the ex-
[ Avenue. tension of the NOl'th-East Freeway from l ooth Aven ue to
Benefits: Kingsway.
Provides needed capacity 01' south-west area. Priority 4 (b) (Estimated cost $7,250,000)
I Extension of the North-East Freeway from 112th Avenue to
125th Avenue.
PRIORITY 5 (0) (b) (c) ( Estimated cost $6,150,000) Priority 4 (c) ( Estimated cost $2,400,000 )
I Extensions of the North-East Freeway to its terminus at
66th Sb'eet, extension of the North-West Freeway from
Extension of South Freeway from Whyte Avenue to 6Ist
Avenue.
Kingsway through 125th Avenue, and extension of the South
Priority 5 (a) (bJ (c) ( E stimated cost $6,150,000 )
I Freeway to 45th Aventle.
Benefits:
Extension of the North-East Freeway to Hs terminus a t 66th
Street, extension of the North-West Freeway from Kings-
l. Provides additional capacity and completes the remaining way through 125th Avenue, and extension of the SOUtll Free-
I freeway network. way to 45th Avenue.

43
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PROGRAM OF ACTION
The re are certain successive courses of action which should
be taken to canl' out the proposals and suggested recommenda-
tions in this study. This plan of action should be commenced
immediately and completed preferably within fi ve years. The
major steps am:
1. Approval in principle of the recomme nded transportation
plan .
2. Investigate the means of developing the revenues re-
quired to finance the program.
3. Selection and unde rtaking of first five year program :
( a ) Preliminary design
(bl Detailed design
(c Construction
4. Establish finnly the alignmeu t and right-of-way re-
quirements of the major facilities which require extensive
property acquisition, taking into consideration such
factors as individual property costs, possible in jurious cf
fection costs, detai led utility relocation costs, detailed
topographical considerations, public acceptability, etc.
5. E stablish a policy and cany out a program for Ule
acquisi tion of rights-of-way and the restriction of develop-
ment.
O. Establish and carry out a program of prcliminary engin-
eering to prepare functi onal requirements for the various
major and secondary improvements proposed .
1. Undertake further studies to enable a decision as to
whether the downtown transit distribution should be
located above or below ground.
8. Make the decision on the fDlm wh ich mass transit should
take in the fu ture and establish the reqnirements for
long range mass tmnsit.
9. Take th e necessary steps to protect rights-of-way for mass
transit.
10. Transportation plruming sh ould be instituted 011 a continl1-
ing basis with a reassessment of the requirements and
program about evel)' five years.
44
FINANCING THE PROGRAM
IT IS EVIDENT from the projection of traffic demands in the
report, that as Edmonton grows to the projected size foreseen,
the invesbnent in improved transportation facilities presents a
majo\' problem if the cost and consequences of congestion are to
be avoided. Edmonton has now used up the reserves planned into
the roadway system when t he City was originally laid out. The
metropolitan area must now look forward to providing faci1ities
for the immediate futm e and rights-of-way for the foreseeable
futW'e as did the planners of Edmonton over fi fty years ago.
Public funds for this wOI'k must be found in competition with
the many other demands for public improvements, such as schools
and hospitals.
Although there will be more people to Jlelp share the cost load
the Municipalities will be pressed to finance the accommodation
of b'avel growth that is now being compounded. The Municipali-
ties must find new soW'ces of revenue 0 1' tum to the Provincial
and Federal Government for financial help.
In 1960 and 1961 the total expenditure for construction exclu-
sive of rights-of-way on arterial roads and bridges in Edmonton
and Jasper Place was approximately $6,000,000. Grants werc
received from the Provincial and Federal Governments towards
this work amounting to just over $1,000,000. The average net
annual construction expenditnre per callita was approximately
$8 or $23 per vehicle.
Thc 1980 program presen ted in this report amonnts to approxi*
mately $115,000,000 in net cost to the Municipalities based on the
present fOlicy of grants from the Provincial and Federal Govern-
ments, I the work program outlined in this report is to be carried
out in a seventeen year period it would represent an average per
capita annual expenditure of about $10.00 or an expenditure per
vehicle of about $25.00 for construction only.
If right*of-way costs are included, the average per capita
annual expenditure would be about $16.00 or an expenditure
per vehicle of about $39.00.
I
I
The Provincial govcmment at present contributes 50 % towards of the fact that the critical pl'oblem of transportation increasingly

I the cost of City roads which handle highway by-pass traHie and
50% towards the cost of major bridges that handle highway
traffic. There is no con tri bution in either case to the cost of
is found in mban areas.
"If the Edmonton area is to be able to meet the sharply rising
acquiring the right-of-way or the cost of the property damages. demand for road facilities in the years immediately ahead with-
I The Federal government contributes a high percentage of the
cost of eliminating grade level crossings of railway tracks and
out increasing the taxation on non-highway sources, two courses
of action appear possible. It can seek the authOrity which it
makes a contribution whicll is relatively small to projects that can now lacks to apply its own taxation on motor vehicles and their

I qualHy for a winter works grant.
The high priority pro/'eets in the Edmonton metropolitan area
arc those in the area 0 congestion towards downtown and the
use, although the administration and collection could be carried
out by the provincial govemment, or it can receive additional
now accrue.
..
aid from the provincial govellllnent to which highway funds

I accommodation of cross river t raffic. The outer circumferential

roads thnt serve as main highway by-passes are low priority
The approach now increasingly being taken by senior govern-
ments towards grants for highway facilities in urban areas is that
projects. Also, the acquisition of right-of-way for the freeways the grants be contingent on the basis of a comprehensive plan
I and the widenin~ of major arterial strcets is a high priority part
of the highway program. It would appear from the magnitude of
and a five year construction program. In this way, if the fonnula
for distribution of grants is flexible enough, the transportation
the problems of construction and financing the transportation plan will demonstrate the maximum return for the transportation
I plan that the policies of finan cial aid and tbe direction of the
allocation of funds should be thoroughly reviewed.
dollar spent.
An assessment of the cost of congestion would undoubtedly
As has been outlined in Vol. I P. 58, the methods being used ind icate that implementing the recommended transportation plan
I in other areas to finance the implementation of thc transportation
plans are as follows:
would more than pay for itself in tenns of travel cost saVings.
However, since neither the revenue nor the savings from its
operation accme directly to the budgets of the authorities
I "Today the [U.S. 1 federal government is paying 90 percent
of the cost of building the Interstate system of freeways, and
responsible for its construction, a review of the SOUl'ce of the
funds required to implement the plan appears to be necessary.
state govemments are paying the remainder. In addition, the
The provision of a planned transportation system to meet the
I federal government, which derives revenues from many fonns
of taxation on the motor vehicle and its usc, contributes half
the cost of improving designated primary thoroughfares through
travel requirement's of 1980 should be continually kept in mind
by the Municipalities that make up the Metropolitan Edmonton
cities, the other half being borne by state governments. These Area, and maintained as a program towards which to work, jf the
I higher levels of government have adopted this poliey in light EdmOllton area is to continue to grow and prosper.

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45
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