YEG airport departure project ahead of schedule

Edmonton International Airport

Good weather has helped crews working on the massive construction project on the departure level of Edmonton International Airport get ahead of schedule.

"The projected timeline to rebuild this infrastructure was about twenty months with the original scope being the rehabilitation of the deck and the replacement of the ramp," Peter Agnew, Vice President, Infrastructure, Facilities and Airside Operations, Edmonton International Airport (YEG) said.

A mild winter put the project ahead of schedule and it's now anticipated to be complete sometime this fall.  

Travelers should notice a big difference on the departure level when it re-opens, starting with enhanced safety measures at drop-off points.

"We will also have aesthetic improvements.  We are bringing the theme of the river valley to our terminal," Agnew revealed.  "There's also enhanced curbside traffic flow.  We have widened our off-ramp from one lane to two lanes that will help during peak times."

Agnew told reporters it took a lot of planning to figure out how to do all the work, with a minimal amount of disruption to the thousands of passengers who use the airport each day.

"How do we move all the passengers that currently come to our terminal five hundred metres outside of our parkade?  So, that was a big challenge in coming up with that plan," Agnew said.

He also points out they are building a new roadway above an existing roadway which is in use for passengers on the arrival level.

There are plans to do some work on that level in the future, but Agnew says that project is still at least three years off.