Ray Gibbon Drive, referred to as the West Regional Road during proposal and planning stages,[2] is a major arterial road in St. Albert, Alberta. With the exception of the Edmonton portion of 184 Street, it is only partially constructed as a two-lane road. Currently, it is 8.2 kilometres (5.1 mi) long and runs between Anthony Henday Drive and Villeneuve Road. It was named at the official opening of Stage One in October 2007,[3] after former mayor of St. Albert Ray Gibbon, who served from 1968 to 1974 and again in 1989. Gibbon died in 1999, but his wife and family were present for the official opening, riding in the vintage lead vehicle for the first use of the road.[3]
Ray Gibbon Drive preceded in Edmonton as 184 Street, an arterial road which begins at 100 Avenue and travels north to Anthony Henday Drive.
Expansion
Plans to extend and upgrade Ray Gibbon Drive have been steadily revised in Edmonton Capital Region Transportation Planning documents.[4][5]
Twinning
In 2020, construction commenced on widening the St. Albert portion of the road to a 4-lane expressway standard, as per requests in 2015 by St. Albert City Council,[6] and approved by the Province of Alberta in 2019, with the $54.2 million price tag to be split equally by the City of St. Albert and the province.[7] Construction was planned to be completed in four phases. As of 2023[update], construction of phases one and two have been completed, with the final two phases between McKenny Avenue and Villenueve Road anticipated to be completed in 2026 and 2029, respectively.[8]
Original plans for a freeway conversion were abandoned, citing an unreasonable cost.
Extension
In 2005, the Province of Alberta began a study on the feasibility of extending Ray Gibbon Drive north of Villeneuve Road, with the goal of connecting to Highway 2 south of Morinville, deemed necessary by high traffic volume and congestion on St. Albert Trail, transferring the Highway 2 designation to Ray Gibbon Drive[9]
In 2015, the City of St. Albert approved the creation of a new arterial road connecting Ray Gibbon Drive to St. Albert Trail (Highway 2), designated as Fowler Way.[10] A study was published in 2018, laying out three potential right-of-ways for the road, aiming to reduce traffic on both St. Albert Trail and Villenueve Road.[11]
Land
In 2016, the City of St. Albert proposed an annexation of 38 ha (0.15 sq mi) of fragmented land from the City of Edmonton,[12][13] which was adjusted to a proposed 46.3 ha (0.18 sq mi) in March 2021.[14] Throughout, the City of St. Albert has maintained that it would be more cost efficient for it to service and maintain this area, as the fragments are adjacent to serviced St. Albert land, while the natural barrier of the Anthony Henday Drive would make it less efficient for Edmonton to extend utility and other services.[15] The fragments are located in a small northwest section of the Anthony Henday transportation utility corridor (adjacent to the north side of Anthony Henday Drive), adjacent to the south side of St. Albert, east of the southern-most 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) stretch of Ray Gibbon Drive owned and serviced by the City of Edmonton (see #Major intersections), and to the west and south of 137 Avenue NW.[14]
