Transforming a Downtown Roadway into a Green and Walkable Street

This case study of 105 Avenue in Edmonton overviews the strategic planning and engineering design that will redefine an urban roadway into a multi-use trail corridor. 105 Avenue is a central component of Edmonton's citywide 62 kilometre multi-use trail corridor network. Situated along the northern edge of Downtown Edmonton, the 2.6 kilometre long corridor travels through a mixed-use area of residential, educational, commercial and light industrial sites. In addition to innovative design work, it was necessary to balance the needs and visions of residents, trail users, motorists and adjacent property owners while promoting walkability and non-motorized transportation. Starting in 2004 the City of Edmonton began a strategic development plan for the Downtown North Edge area to provide a framework to transition the area to a mixed-use community. Working with a consultant team in late 2005, the strategy progressed to develop preliminary engineering designs, cost estimates and financing mechanisms to complete the 105 Avenue Corridor. New Urbanism and Context Sensitive Street Design philosophies were applied to create and assess design options. The result is a unique treatment for the entire road right-ofway that prioritizes travel by pedestrians, cyclists, and skaters, while maintaining and managing vehicular access along 105 Avenue. This paper highlights the tasks undertaken to advance the strategic direction for 105 Avenue from several City of Edmonton plans and policies. These tasks included developing preliminary engineering design options, extensive stakeholder consultation to communicate project information, and exploring funding mechanisms for corridor development.