The eastbound Rainbow Valley Bridge is open again after just over a year closed.
It reopened the weekend of August 22, completing the major bridge work for Stage 2 of the Terwillegar Drive Expansion.
Three eastbound lanes are now available across the bridge. Westbound stays at two lanes between 122 Street and 142 Street, expanding to three west of 142.
Crews are still on Whitemud Drive and the bridge finishing the median barrier, paving and minor site works, so drivers can expect occasional lane closures in both directions. Once the project is completed this fall, the bridges will support four lanes of traffic in each direction across the Rainbow Valley area, with landscaping and site restoration running into 2027.
What already opened this year
Three pieces of Stage 2 came online before the bridge did.
The Rainbow Valley Pedestrian Bridge and the 142 Street Pedestrian Bridge both opened in July. The Rainbow Valley crossing sits adjacent to the westbound lanes of the traffic bridge, and the 142 Street bridge spans Whitemud Drive.
A bus-only lane from 53 Avenue to Terwillegar Drive opened in June, along with a new southbound stop at 53 Avenue for Route 31 Leger. That lane exists so buses can bypass the Terwillegar and Whitemud interchange entirely.
Interchange upgrades are complete, including ramp widening and the expansion of Whitemud Drive to four lanes in each direction between Terwillegar Drive and 122 Street.
Alberta paid for two pieces of it
The funding split is published on the City's project page and it's more interesting than the headline number.
Stage 2 is funded by the City of Edmonton through the 2019-2022 Capital Budget, in partnership with the Government of Alberta.
The City is covering the Terwillegar and Whitemud interchange upgrades, the Whitemud Drive widening, the widening and rehabilitation of the Rainbow Valley bridges, and the new pedestrian and cyclist bridge over Rainbow Valley.
The province is covering the bus-only lane from 53 Avenue to Terwillegar Drive, and the pedestrian and cyclist bridge over Whitemud Drive near 142 Street.
Both provincially funded items are transit or active transportation, and both opened before the road work finished.
The rest of the scope
Stage 2 covers more than the bridges.
Ramp work at the interchange includes widening the westbound Whitemud to southbound Terwillegar loop ramp, widening the northbound Terwillegar to eastbound Whitemud ramp, and partial widening on two more.
There are five retaining walls according to the contractor, including a mechanically stabilized earth wall, a ground anchor wall and three cast-in-place gravity walls. A noise wall runs along southbound Whitemud Drive between 47A Avenue and 45 Avenue, next to existing homes. Shared pathway upgrades run from 122 Street to 142 Street.
The City's project page also lists tree impacts and preservation as a component of Stage 2.
How the bridges got built
The twin bridges were done one at a time, with traffic running on whichever span was finished.
Westbound closed in February 2024 and two-way traffic was redirected onto the eastbound span. The City rehabilitated and widened the north bridge and added the pedestrian and cyclist bridge beside it. Last August traffic shifted onto the completed span and the same work began eastbound.
Graham Construction handled it. Three girder lines went in, one for each traffic bridge and one for the shared-use path bridge, each spanning roughly 190 metres and weighing between 270,000 and 300,000 kilograms. The heaviest single lift involved four spliced girders hoisted simultaneously, 135,000 kilograms.
The eastbound erection was done overnight, using four different roadway configurations each night to keep traffic moving.
Where the project stands
Terwillegar Drive Expansion started in 2021 and runs in three stages.
Stage 1 finished in 2024, widening between Haddow Drive and Whitemud Drive with a shared pathway and landscaping. Stage 2 began in summer 2023 and is nearing completion.
Stage 3 is underway now, covering road widening, the Terwillegar Drive and Anthony Henday Drive interchange, dedicated transit lanes and a shared pathway, plus a shared-use path bridge over the Henday connecting South Terwillegar to Windermere Boulevard. It's funded by the Government of Alberta and delivered by Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors, with service expected by 2028.
It was supposed to be a freeway
The original concept was a free-flow route without traffic lights. Council opted for an expressway instead, which Global News reported would cost less than the light-free alternative. Terwillegar Drive itself is being built with four lanes in each direction, three for traffic and one dedicated bus lane.
That decision has shaped the corridor since, including why some crossings still have lights after five years of construction.
Where to find more
The City publishes the supporting documents, including a Site Location Study from May 2023, an Environmental Impact Assessment Amendment from June 2023, the original Environmental Impact Assessment from January 2022, and an earlier Site Location Study from September 2021.
Budget and schedule information for this and other capital projects is on the City's Building Edmonton interactive map.
Questions go to the Terwillegar Drive Expansion Program Team at terwillegardrive@edmonton.ca.
Sources
Terwillegar Drive Expansion – Stage Two — City of Edmonton
Terwillegar Drive Expansion — City of Edmonton
Milestones Achieved on Terwillegar Drive Stage 2 Project — Graham Construction
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