A section of Yellowhead Trail in Edmonton has been closed following a torrential downpour that flooded the roadway under the CN Rail Bridge. The city has advised motorists to seek alternate routes while crews work to remove the standing water.
Traffic Restrictions and Delays
According to an announcement posted on the city's social media channels shortly after 2 p.m. and updated at 3:30 p.m., westbound Yellowhead Trail from 97 Street to 124 Street is now closed to traffic. Traffic exiting the freeway at 121 Street is being directed southbound. The city stated that westbound Yellowhead Trail is reduced to a single lane, and significant delays are expected during the afternoon commute.
Motorists are urged to use alternate routes and allow extra travel time. Crews are working diligently to resume normal traffic flow in the area as soon as possible.
Flood Mitigation Efforts
Earlier in the day, Mayor Andrew Knack informed reporters that the city had approved a $1.6 billion flood mitigation program in 2019 to prepare for once-a-century weather events, which are occurring more frequently due to climate change. He noted that the city's stormwater system has held up well during the deluge.
“I think this is part of the ongoing work of Epcor to make sure our systems in place are resilient across the entire city,” Knack said. “They’ve been constantly going across the city to build up the infrastructure for flood mitigation.”
Impact on Events
Knack also mentioned that, as of Monday morning, he had not heard any concerns about Commonwealth Stadium in the lead-up to the match-up between Canada and Uzbekistan Monday evening. He added that Edmontonians were not about to let a little extra water ruin their good time.
“I’ve got my thermal layer, I’m going to have my rain jacket right underneath and I’ll put my jersey over top,” he said. “Remind yourself of that game we had in November that was -20 C, filled with snow. It was actually one of the best memories I’ll ever have in this city — being surrounded by 50,000-plus people cheering on Team Canada.”
For more information on weather-related disruptions, readers can check updates on flood watches and heavy rainfall warnings across Alberta.
