Dismantling YEG’s half-built freeway begins on Rossdale Road
Stephanie Swensrude photo
Work has begun to undo Edmonton’s incomplete 1970s downtown freeway project, with asphalt removed in Rossdale. “The changes on the Rossdale Road rehabilitation are necessary to eliminate some of the confusion where the triangle portion of 103 Street, Bellamy Hill, Rossdale Road, and 97 Avenue connect,” said Satya Gadidasu, the City of Edmonton project manager in charge of the redesign.
The former vehicle lanes have been stripped of asphalt and returned to dirt, and trees will eventually be planted. While Rossdale Road is one current option for commuting into downtown, the plan sees the road turned into a two-way, “park-like” street. An existing sidewalk will be widened to become a multi-use path for cyclists and pedestrians.
Many decades ago, the city commissioned the Metropolitan Edmonton Transportation Study (METS), which imagined a freeway loop encircling the downtown core, similar to what today exists in many American cities. Construction of the freeway loop started with the James MacDonald Bridge and the roads on either side.
The changes are the first steps in the Rossdale Transportation Network Plan. In the concept plan, 105 Street will be narrowed from four lanes to three along most of the road between the Walterdale Bridge and 97 Avenue. The plan includes adding a bike lane and widening sidewalks along the street.
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=rm&ogbl#inbox/FMfcgzGwHxqJfLQLllMpmwcVbQNJXMxC
City plants a record number of 180,000 trees in 2023
The 180,000 trees planted means the city made significant strides toward the goal of planting 2 million trees. The number is more than three times the previous year and includes trees planted as part of several city programs, including naturalization, Root for Trees and the Boulevard and Open Space tree planting programs.
Much of the city’s naturalization efforts were done through the Root for Trees program, its volunteer tree planting program. In 2023, 3,752 volunteers participated in the program planting 34,167 trees and shrubs at 186 events.
Naturalization is increasingly incorporated into the design of parks, neighbourhoods and projects led by the city, developers and utility companies. More than 1,000 hectares of city-maintained land is naturalized as grass or planted with trees and shrubs.
Processes and best practices for ongoing monitoring and maintenance are being updated to consider factors such as equity, heat island effect, walking access to green spaces, recreation opportunities, wildlife connectivity and biodiversity, carbon capture and more. The city also wants to make sure we preserve existing recreation activities such as tobogganing, while also identifying areas where tree planting will have the best impact.
The target of having two million trees planted within the next eight years is part of the city’s Urban Forest Asset Management goal of achieving 20 percent canopy cover by 2071. Video on the benefits of naturalization at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zWgiRFcwaU
Mallards winter on the open waters of the North Saskatchewan River
Bert De Tilly photo
Mallards are hardy ducks, wintering regularly in southern Ontario and southern British Columbia. In Alberta, Mallards stay on the open waters of the North Saskatchewan River as far north as Edmonton. The great majority, however, migrate to the central and southern United States, where lakes and ponds are ice-free throughout the year.
Though one of the most adaptable of ducks, the continuing loss of prairie nesting habitat, particularly grassy uplands, has caused a long-term decline in continental Mallard populations. Droughts during the 1980s and 1990s created unfavourable conditions for prairie ducks, and many former wetlands have dried out and are now farmland.
Mallards are one of the few ducks that habitually feed on grain. Barley and wheat are preferred. Most grain is now harvested by combine, and ducks cannot do much damage, except when the grain is left in swaths because of poor weather.
Throughout the ages, the Mallard has benefited people by supplying them with eggs and flesh. It has long been domesticated, and many strains of our domestic ducks show their Mallard ancestry in their bright colours. Apart from its usefulness, the Mallard is a beautiful bird that brings delight to many outdoor people. The bird watcher knows of few more thrilling sights than Mallards dropping down with feet out-thrust to find the first spring water. https://www.hww.ca/en/wildlife/birds/mallard.html
Exotic Species by Marc Siegner, Victoria Park Pavilion
https://www.edmontonarts.ca/public-art/exotic-species
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