Drivers impatient as Anthony Henday construction nears completion

It may be spring, but thousands of drivers in northeast Edmontonare more likely to see orange than green.

Along the new Anthony Henday Drive extension, thereare plenty oforange construction signs, orange cones, and workers in orange vests.

Construction of the northeast portion of thering road started in 2012.

That last section,which will crossYellowheadTrail andlink up with the ManningFreeway, is expected to finally be finished this fall.

For some drivers, it hasbeen a frustrating four years of slow moving traffic and confusion.

Trevor Ward lives in Fort Saskatchewan and often commutes into Edmonton. The portion of the Henday under construction along the Yellowhead Trail was once a regular route for him. But these days he goes out of his way to avoid it.

"If I need to go in the city, I'll either go down the Manning, or I will go down (Highway) 21 and to the end," said Ward. "That usually takes as much time as the Yellowhead, because it takes forever.

Driving along the Anthony Henday is "kind of confusing," he said.

The last leg of the project includes 18 kilometres of six- and eight-lane freeways and nine interchanges. A virtual video on the contractor's website shows a smooth flowing freeway, but in its current condition drivers are forced tozigzag around construction crews at 60 km/h.

It's a main route for many truckers entering and exiting Edmonton. One of them admits the slow traffic and winding detours can be frustrating. ButBarry McDonaldremains patient.

"They (cars) dart in and out, so you've got tobe careful," said McDonald. "Go slow, but it doesn't take long to get out of it."

But McDonald is looking forward to completion of the Henday project.

"There's a lot of boondoggles in the city, and this will just make everything easier."

Ward is also excited for the project to finish, but doesn't thinkit will be completed by its fall deadline.

"I don't even see that happening," he said. "Maybe next spring. I bet you in spring they'll be completely done."

But project manager Robert Richardson said things are rolling along quickly enough for the project to be completed on time.

"We've had a good spring start with the warmer weather, and with the milder winter we had, the frost wasn't as deep as usual," said Richardson. "So that's helped us get a good jump on things here."

"I have quite a bit of confidence we're going to finish and open by October 1, especially with the start we've had in the spring."