Peak hour lane changes on Whoop-Up Drive start Wednesday, aiming to improve traffic flow

Once the peak hours of westbound traffic has come to an end, it will return to two eastbound lanes and one westbound lane.

“This actually will, hopefully, alleviate most of the congestion on Whoop-Up Drive,” says Drenth.

Jason Drenth on the changes to peak hour traffic on Whoop-Up Drive.

During the changeover, staff will be on site to move pylons around, so he is asking all drivers to pay attention and leave them some space.

Drenth hopes that this change will also help to reduce the volume of vehicles on Highway 3, where there have been several collisions in recent days.

Since Highway 3 is a provincially managed roadway, the City of Lethbridge cannot make any changes directly, but Mayor Blaine Hyggen says he has spoken to the Alberta Government about their concerns.

The zipper merge on westbound Whoop-Up Drive will remain in place during non-peak hours. See this video for reminders on how to properly navigate through a zipper merge.

Why isn’t the bridge work happening 24 hours a day?

If you follow any community Facebook groups recently, you have most likely seen people asking why the construction zone on Whoop-Up Drive remains in place, even when there are no workers present.

Drenth explains that, for both the scheduled bridge maintenance and repairs to the underside of the bridge, they are using high-strength concrete and epoxy, and that these substances require several days to cure.

“Actually, work is ongoing 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but there are processes that need to be done in a timely manner… The reason why we’re doing it [this way] and following proper processes is to make sure that the material hardens properly for the future strength and integrity of the bridge,” says Drenth.

The assessment of damages from the August 6 incident, in which a piece of heavy equipment struck the underside of the bridge, has been completed.

Drenth says the damages are not getting any worse, and they will start restoration work once a contractor has been hired. The completion of the assessment is what is allowing the City to make the peak-hour lane changes.

Hyggen adds that the municipality is working with some of the best bridge experts in the country, and that City Hall needs to take their advice seriously.

Blaine Hyggen on the need to listen to bridge experts.

What about a third bridge?

Another hot topic in the community since the start of bridge maintenance has been a potential third bridge across the coulees.

The mayor says his inbox and Lethbridge 311 have been flooded with complaints about the traffic flow on both Whoop-Up Drive and Highway 3, some of whom have suggested that a third bridge will prevent issues like this.

“A third bridge will alleviate some of that, absolutely, but it won’t alleviate the cost to the taxpayers,” says Hyggen. “That increase could be 12, 13, 15 per cent tax increase – something that I just can’t support, and I’m sure many of our citizens, when they hear that, wouldn’t support.”

An estimate from 2023 showed that a third bridge could cost around $188 million.

The project is currently in the 2027-31 Capital Improvement Plan but is not yet funded. A preliminary design is expected in 2027.

@lethbridgenewsnow Peak hour changes to Whoop-Up Drive in Lethbridge. Learn more at LethbridgeNewsNow.com #YQL #LNN #Lethbridge #Alberta #News ♬ original sound – Lethbridge News Now

Note: The first sentence in this article has been changed since its original publication.

by David Opinko

Peak hour lane changes on Whoop-Up Drive start Wednesday, aiming to improve traffic flow

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