The 19 Street Improvement Project will improve overall movement, safety and capacity along 19 Street between Gaetz Avenue and Irwin Avenue. 19 Street is a road in need, and this project will include a complete reconstruction of the roadway, a new multi-lane roundabout at 19 Street and 40 Avenue to improve roadway capacity and safety, as well as new trails on 19 Street and 40 Avenue to encourage active movement in this area.

• Roadway rehabilitation: 19 Street between Irwin Avenue and Gaetz Avenue is a road in need, with the entire road infrastructure requiring upgrades to maintain the road’s integrity.
• Roundabout at 19 Street and 40 Avenue: Construction of a multi-lane modern roundabout at 19 Street and 40 Avenue, will improve intersection capacity, reduce overall traffic delays and improve safety for all road users.
• Trail connections: New multi-use trails will be built to provide better multi-modal connectivity between neighbourhoods, parks, and commercial spaces.

This project scope includes:

• Complete rebuild of 19 Street between Irwin Avenue and Gaetz Avenue. This road is more than 20 years old and past its service life.
• Construction of a multi-lane roundabout at 19 Street and 40 Avenue. This will improve intersection capacity and reduce overall delay by 80 per cent.
• Construction of multi-use trails on 19 Street and 40 Avenue. This will provide better connectivity between neighbourhoods in the east and commercial areas in the west.

Traffic will remain open in each direction throughout construction. To accommodate traffic construction activities began on the eastbound lanes and the westbound lanes will be single lane in each direction. When construction is complete on the eastbound lanes, the westbound lanes will close, and traffic will be detoured into the eastbound lanes with traffic flowing in both directions.

Throughout construction, only righthand turns will be permitted to and from 19 Street, 49 Avenue, 46 Avenue and Sharpe Avenue. Eliminating left turns at these intersections during construction will not only prevent unnecessary traffic congestion and minimize construction impacts, but it will also create a safer driving environment during construction.

No. All businesses will remain open, and access will be maintained during construction. The project will provide signage to direct drivers how to safely access businesses.

For safety reasons, there will be intermittent trail closures during construction. Please follow all signs. The project also includes the addition of multi-use trails that will provide better connectivity between neighbourhoods, parks and commercial spaces along 19 Street.

Modern roundabouts, like the ones on 67 Street, reduce delays and improve intersection safety when compared to signalized intersections. 19 Street and 40 Avenue is a busy intersection in our city, and by replacing the signalized intersection with a multi-lane roundabout we estimate reducing intersection delays by up to 30 seconds, and reduce potential vehicular and pedestrian conflict points, improving safety for all road users. 

Construction began in May and the project will take two years to complete. We anticipate stopping construction in late October in 2023 and resuming again in early spring, 2024. We expect all road work to be complete by Fall 2024. Some landscaping may be required in 2025.

Construction activities will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, except for long weekends. This schedule is weather dependent and subject to change as the project requires. Contractors will adjust their hours according to project demands to keep progress moving.

No. Access to Westerner Park will be maintained throughout construction. The project is moving west to east, with the majority of construction activity by the Westerner happening this spring and then again for a couple weeks during mid to late July, with minimal construction activity near the Westerner for the remainder of the project. Once complete, this 19 Street Improvement Project will improve traffic patterns for those accessing Westerner Park, including the construction of multi-use pathways connecting Westerner Park to the Waskasoo Park trail system, as well as neighbourhoods in the southeast sector of our city.

The Transit stops near 46 Avenue are temporarily closed as it is unsafe for pedestrians to navigate the construction zone and there is not enough room for transit buses to safely pull over for passenger drop off and pick up. Transit riders who would usually use these stops, can take Route 13 and use stops 1220 and 1221 and connect with their regular route at the Bower Hub.