Cracks discovered in 18 concrete columns that support some of the elevated LRT tracks along the Valley Line LRT extension mean the opening date will be pushed back again.
During a news conference Wednesday morning at Davies Station, TransEd CEO Ronald Jonkas said some recent inspections by the city and TransEd — the public-private partnership building it — found a problem during a July 16 inspection.
“We recently found cracks in some of the concrete pillars that support some of the elevated tracks. We immediately initiated a thorough investigation protocol by our engineering team.”
Joncas could not provide a revised opening date for the line.
Read more: Another Valley Line LRT delay expected by union; TransEd Wednesday Update
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He said preliminary investigations revealed “lateral loading of the supports in the curved sections”.
Joncas described it as a “thermal expansion” problem. There are wide stretches that span piers. They expand and contract with temperature changes, but there are devices installed to counteract this action as part of the design.
Elevated sections of the Valley Line near the Davies LRT station in south Edmonton on Wednesday, August 10, 2022. Global News
There’s also a long rail that doesn’t have an expansion joint, Yonkas said. It’s the combination of these different elements that TransEd engineers are looking at when it comes to the horizontal cracks they found, which are several millimeters thick.
TransEd and engineering teams are exploring options to strengthen the piers. They need to determine what additional construction work is needed and then implement those options, Jonkas said.
In total there are about 45 concrete pillars on the line. Yoncas said he doesn’t expect it to require replacement, but rather “strengthening.”
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It is still safe to walk and drive under any of the elevated sections, he said.
2:05 Dozens of Edmontonians flock to new Tawatina Bridge pedestrian walkway for grand opening Dozens of Edmontonians flock to new Tawatina Bridge pedestrian walkway for grand opening – December 12, 2021
Yoncas emphasized that there would be no additional cost to Edmontonians and the contract contains provisions to protect taxpayers. TransEd is responsible for covering the costs of the strengthening measure.
“At all stages, the city and TransEd are working collaboratively” to explore the best option and implement it, Yonkas said. He added that TransEd “immediately communicated” with colleagues in the city, the city crews working on the project.
“We were all gearing up for the opening this summer,” he said. “Unfortunately, that will not be possible.”
He said once engineers complete a root cause assessment (1-2 weeks) and create a plan to strengthen the design, TransEd will be in a better position to propose an updated start date.
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“I want to say how disappointed we all are and that we deeply regret the inconvenience … this delay may bring to Edmontonians.”
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“Be assured that we are doing everything we can to find the most effective solution.”
1:47 The transit union is expecting another Valley Line LRT delay as TransEd is ready to share an update. The transit union is expecting another Valley Line LRT delay as TransEd is ready to share an update
Later Wednesday, city officials said they were disappointed and disappointed.
“TransEd — as a public-private partnership — has not delivered on this project as expected,” said Mayor Amarjit Sohi. “They are responsible for this delay and will be held accountable.”
Sohi said he shares Edmontonians’ anger and frustration.
“This project was near and dear to my heart,” he said, explaining that it started 14 years ago with a proposal he submitted to build the line.
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“This work started in 2008. It was scheduled to be completed in December 2020 and now it is August 2022 and we are still waiting.”
The mayor also called on the administration to do a comprehensive review of how the city builds major projects, especially this P3 approach.
“We also have to recognize the lack of oversight the city has on P3 projects,” Sohi said, adding that transparency and accountability are essential to keeping projects on time and on budget.
3:03 Edmonton mayor says TransEd will be held accountable for Valley Line safety, delays Edmonton mayor says TransEd will be held accountable for Valley Line safety, delays
City Manager Andre Corbould said he was also deeply disappointed and disappointed.
“We will hold TransEd accountable.”
To qualify for federal aid, the project was done as a P3, Corbould said. It was also projected to save the city hundreds of millions of dollars.
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Read more: Valley Line Southeast LRT extension on track to open in summer, no date set: TransEd
The 13km line, linking the city center to Mill Woods, was originally due to be ready for passengers in December 2020 before being pushed back to late 2021.
In October 2021, the opening was again postponed to the first quarter of 2022.
Another delay was then announced in December 2021, this time to summer 2022. At the time, no exact opening date was provided.
1:56 Valley Line LRT opening delayed again Valley Line LRT opening delayed again – December 2, 2021
On June 22, the contractor again said it was still on track to open the line this summer, but an exact date was not announced. TransEd said an exact opening date will be provided closer to when the line is ready for passengers.
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The transit union recently noticed a change in Edmonton’s bus schedule and said Tuesday it could mean another delay.
Bus route 510X — which covered the Mill Wood Town Center to downtown route that the new LRT leg was supposed to cover — was provided every week, ATU local president Steve Bradshaw said.
However, it was recently replaced by a more permanent bus route 73, which is scheduled to run until at least December.
“That suggests to us that maybe there’s some information somewhere in the background — that’s not being shared publicly — that the Valley Line isn’t ready to start sometime in the summer,” Bradshaw told Global News on Tuesday.
Bradshaw says the bus route is in place for this whole neighborhood “which is around Christmas or until the tram line starts”.
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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