Edmonton city council has approved an increase for the proposed budget set aside for the Capital Line LRT south extension to a tune of $240 million dollars.
The approval comes without public notice as a part of the borrowing bylaw which was on the agenda during Tuesdays council meeting. A technicality that will allow the city to borrow money for an already approved city council project.
The project, which will see the LRT service extended from Century Park to Ellerslie Road and also include 4.5 kilometers of new track and new stations proposed in Twin Brooks and Heritage Valley.
The city attributes the added costs economic challenges, inflation, supply chain disruptions and labour availability which has impacted the construction market significantly according to a staff report.
It was announced in April, that a consortium made up of Aecon, AECOM and Ledcor would be the preferred bidder accumulating as the Capital Line Design-Builders.
Work within the project has already been scaled back with intent to keep the project within the proposes $1.08 Billion budget.
These modifications include the Heritage Valley station to be built on ground level rather than above grade, fewer LRT vehicles and park and ride spaces also seen a cut-back.
Any other adjustments to the budget are still unclear as city council increased the budget on May 22nd, however the documents within the borrowing bylaw state $584.6 million of the dedt will be paid back through Edmontonian tax dollars over time.
The LRT extension is an important project as outlined by mayor Amarjeet Sohi, to meet the needs of a growing population in Edmonton’s south side.
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