Ray Gibbon Drive, west of St. Albert, Alberta, currently functions as a two lane arterial roadway constructed to alleviate local traffic congestion and provide an alternate commuting route for the residents of St. Albert. Planning took place over 30 years, prolonged primarily because of environmental concerns. Because of the project's location, site sensitivities and a long history of public interest, the City of St. Albert required an environmental assessment and several federal and provincial agencies required environmental approvals. Construction challenges included: Construction of the roadway over an abandoned landfill with the risk of leakage of leachate; the need to work in Riel Pond (which discharged to the Sturgeon River) while not releasing contaminated bottom sediments, or a non-native fish species (threespine stickleback) discovered in the Pond; scheduling all work outside the period April to July (inclusive) imposed by fish and other breeding wildlife sensitivities (which led to challenging work conditions); and the need to compensate for lost fish habitat as a result of placing piers and abutments in the Sturgeon River. The road opened for traffic in 2007 with achievement of all environmental protection measures despite the numerous challenges. For the covering abstract of this conference see ITRD number E216597.
Abstract