If you’ve driven into downtown from the west end lately, you know how frustrating it’s become. Construction on Stony Plain Road, 156 st and now Jasper Avenue has made access to the core increasingly difficult—and the newest disruption on 107 Avenue is the latest in a series of missteps.

Back in February, I asked City Administration directly whether they were coordinating the sequencing of these major construction projects. My concern was straightforward: that we’d end up with multiple, overlapping lane closures that would severely limit access to downtown for residents, businesses, and visitors alike  - not just from the west end, but from the southwest as well.

I was told we didn’t need to worry. In fact, I was assured that 107 Avenue would be “protected and kept unrestricted,” specifically because of the already-limited capacity on Stony Plain Road.

And yet, here we are.

The 107 Avenue revitalization project has reduced some sections between 101 Street and 121 Street to a single lane in each direction during off-peak hours. Whether it’s 9 a.m. or 3:30 p.m., a lane lost is a lane lost—and the result is more congestion and more frustration.

This isn’t just an inconvenience. It’s a failure of planning and coordination. And it undermines our broader goals of revitalizing downtown.

If we want people to support downtown businesses, attend events, and feel connected to the heart of the city, they have to be able to get there—easily, efficiently, and without constant disruption.

This is what I mean when I say we need to build it better. Infrastructure isn’t just about pouring concrete. It’s about smart sequencing. It’s about making construction zones work with the city, not against it. And above all, it’s about understanding that the way we build impacts how people live, move, and interact with their city every day.

We need a City Council that puts coordination and common sense at the centre of infrastructure planning. Because building a better Edmonton means doing the basics—better.

As an engineer and a City Councillor, I've spent years watching Edmonton stumble through major construction projects. The latest Valley Line West LRT announcement is just another symptom of a broken system I've been fighting to fix.

Last week, I sat in Council chambers watching administration explain why we need to shut down major intersections across west Edmonton this summer, bringing unprecedented disruption to west end communities for the foreseeable future. Their reasoning? We're behind schedule and need to catch up. Stop me if you've heard this before.

We also heard from local business owners who have already endured two years of constant disruption and are hanging on by a thread. Their message was clear and heartbreaking - many won’t survive another summer of construction hell. These are our neighbours, people who have invested everything in their businesses, now watching their livelihoods threatened by poor project management.

Let me be blunt: This project has been mismanaged from the start. Construction began late, far too many roads were closed simultaneously, and work sites sat dormant for months. Now, with Stony Plain Road construction a full year behind schedule, their solution is simply to close even more major intersections.

The reality is this goes far beyond the West LRT. We're looking at a fundamental problem in how our city plans and executes major projects. I've been in the construction industry for over 30 years, and I can tell you: it doesn't have to be this way.

Here's the painful reality of what's coming in 2025:

• Complete closure of key intersections along Stony Plain Road for up to 2 months
• Nine months of single-lane traffic on 104 Avenue
• Concurrent construction on Jasper Avenue starting in spring
• Wellington Bridge replacement closing 102 Avenue in late 2025

And that's just the beginning of a multi-year infrastructure crisis. The Dawson Bridge will see closures in 2025, the Low Level Bridge will see partial closure in 2026, followed by the High Level Bridge in 2027 - a closure that will last three years. Closing these critical river crossings will impact hundreds of thousands of Edmontonians that rely on them daily.  Meanwhile, the $2.6 billion West LRT project -  the largest infrastructure investment in Edmonton's history - is now delayed until 2028.

These aren't just a few inconvenient detours - they're major disruptions to a growing city of nearly two million people. With 50,000 new residents arriving annually and our downtown still in recovery, we need thoughtful, coordinated infrastructure planning - not band-aid solutions.

As someone who's managed major infrastructure projects, I can tell you - this chaos isn't inevitable. It's the result of poor planning and lack of coordination.

This is why I'm running for Mayor. Edmonton needs leadership that understands how to build things properly. We need:

• Real coordination between major projects
• Practical construction scheduling that maintains critical traffic flow
• Private sector expertise at the planning table
• Honest timelines from the start, not after things go wrong

I've proposed creating an Infrastructure Committee with private sector involvement. Why? Because the current model clearly isn't working. We're spending billions of dollars on critical infrastructure, but we're planning it project by project instead of looking at the whole picture.

Want to Help Build it Better? Do you have professional expertise in infrastructure, construction, or project management? I'm looking for industry leaders to help shape this committee. Send me a note at [email protected] - I'd love to hear your ideas.

When I talk about "Building it Better," this is exactly what I mean. It's not just a campaign slogan - it's about fundamentally changing how we approach city building. We need to stop treating our roads like independent projects and start seeing them as part of an interconnected network that keeps our city moving.

I know we can do better because I've done it. Throughout my engineering career, I've managed complex projects that finished on time and on budget. The difference? Proper planning, realistic schedules, and a commitment to minimizing community impacts.

As your Mayor, I'll bring that expertise to city hall. We can build the infrastructure Edmonton needs without creating years of chaos. But first, we need to admit our current approach isn't working.

It's time for change. It's time to build it better.

I continue to become increasingly concerned with how the City of Edmonton manages its big capital projects. The residents I have the privilege of representing have pretty hard questions about how their money is being spent, and so do I.

On June 11 City Council will be discussing capital budget adjustments - addressing emerging issues, cleaning up completed projects and approving the start of new ones.

But I suspect this topic won’t be where Council’s attention and focus lies. They will most likely be chasing an operational audit of the police, which is a bone so far out of our governance lane it should be barely visible.

The only thing that we should be prioritizing for an audit is our Integrated Infrastructure Services Branch- based on more news of LRT cost overruns- rather than never ending petty grievances with the police.

The adjustment causing me the most distress is a recommendation to increase funding by $242M for the South LRT extension across Anthony Henday Drive to Heritage Valley. This will bring the total project cost to $1.34B, With $423M in federal and $331M in provincial funding, Edmonton’s contribution is $585M. 

4.5 km of track, 2 Stations, 2 bridges, a maintenance facility and a few new train cars. $1.3B.  $310M / km. 

The City could build 2 bus garages and fill them with buses for that money, and give premium transit service to EVERYONE, not just the few people that live close to these two stations.

What really bothers me though, is that Council doesn’t know the costs of all the different elements that make up this number. 

I am not inclined to question the work of design professionals when it comes to the technical details. If an engineer or architect tells the city that it costs this much to build that thing, then I believe it.  

What I am not sure of is what guidance or restrictions are put in place by City Administration before those experts are engaged.  

If I ask an engineer or architect the cost to put brick siding on a wall, that expert will tell me and I can take that to the bank. But unless I ask for the costs and effectiveness of brick siding versus vinyl siding or stone siding or metal siding, all I get is the cost of the brick.

Did we ask for expertise? Or did we just ask for cost estimates?

What will the bridges look like, and are there less expensive alternatives? Are we overpaying for aesthetics?

Are there different alignments that would result in shorter bridges?

How elaborate are the stations? What is the level of finishes? Are we using versatile materials easily sourced? 

Have we traded functionality along the line to pay for more expensive materials or less efficient designs? Will the new line effectively connect and coordinate with local trails and roads?

This extension was headed for the South Edmonton Hospital, a project recently cancelled by the Province. Is there still enough demand to justify the cost? The most recent ridership projections were developed before the pandemic, before work from home, before a more decentralized Edmonton economy.  

Should we be considering a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) alternative instead, similar to what is being built in southwest Edmonton? The $585M in City funding alone would easily pay for a BRT route to south Edmonton, and probably another route too. (And spare me the reference to the 2018 Administration report that somehow says a railway is the same cost as a bus route. That report was flawed in too many ways to outline here).

The SLRT line may serve as a connector to the airport. But the Province is also talking about a rail connection between the airport and downtown. Are we talking about the same line, or two different lines? Will this extension end up being redundant? Maybe we should know that before making this funding commitment?

We need the answers to all of these questions. But the truth is that the extension was already approved, in private, and all we are really talking about on June 11 is the funding bylaw to support that decision. 

I support mass transit. I supported this extension in the beginning. This is the Rapid Transit line, not the tram to the west end. This LRT works.

But I also support sound project and financial management. Without answers to these questions, I cannot support this spending.

We need a different process that allows Council to deliberate on design options - fully informed by the expertise of our in-house and third party professionals - long before we are faced with high tenders and looming deadlines. 

I know that is diving into management and operations. But when it comes to LRT projects and major capital projects generally, Council must have that opportunity.  

Because Council has lost the trust of constituents. They don’t think we have their financial challenges in mind when we make these decisions. They want us to make sure we can take care of and operate the infrastructure we have before we build more. They want us to make sure that a particular project is absolutely necessary and isn‘t some sort of vanity project. 

These are fair questions that deserve proper answers. We need to find a way to give people the answers they want. Which means giving Council the chance to ask those questions on their behalf.

Maybe it's time for an external audit, or third party review, or to engage industry experts in a different way.

Because when it comes to these big projects, things just don’t add up.