Edmonton Celebrates 10th Anniversary of Anthony Henday Drive Northeast Section Completion A decade after the northeastern segment of Edmonton's Anthony Henday Drive opened, officials celebrate the 26‑year‑long infrastructure project, noting its massive scale, public‑private partnership success, environmental additions and its impact on traffic and commerce. In Edmonton, the opening of the northeastern leg of Anthony Henday Drive on October 1, 2016 marked the culmination of a 26‑year, province‑wide ring‑road project that once held the title of Alberta's largest infrastructure undertaking. The new 27‑kilometre segment, stretching from Manning Drive to Whitemud Drive, was completed in just over four years but was the result of nearly a quarter of a century of planning, design and construction work that began in 1990. With 52 bridges, nine interchanges, eight railway crossings and a total cost of $1.81 billion, it added almost nine kilometres of freeway and upgraded an existing 10‑kilometre stretch of Highway 216, dramatically improving the corridor that runs along the Yellowhead between Highways 216 and 21.Celebrating Public-Private Partnership AccomplishmentDuring a celebration held on Thursday, Tom Curtin, a senior policy adviser with Meridiam Infrastructure, highlighted the significance of the project's completion for the capital city and its residents. He noted that the public‑private partnership between the provincial government and Capital City Link General Partnership - the contractor that delivers the project and is owned by Meridiam - yielded a finished product that "was such a huge accomplishment." Curtin praised the partnership's attention to environmental and community quality, pointing out the pollinator habitats and honey‑producing beehives that now line the road's shoulders. He added that the Northeast section has become an integral part of daily life for commuters, freight carriers and local citizens alike, making its 10‑year legacy a moment worthy of celebration. The Northeast leg's opening capped a sequential series of milestones that evolved over two decades.After the first 3‑kilometre section between Stony Plain Road and Whitemud Drive opened in 1992, the project expanded through successive tranches: a 15‑kilometre stretch from Lessard Road to Terwillegar Drive in 2005; the southwestern leg from Terwillegar‑Drive to Calgary Trail and the north‑western leg from Yellowhead Trail to 127 Street, both in 2006; and the southeastern portion from Calgary Trail to Highway 14 in 2007. Each segment added crucial connectivity for the Edmonton metropolitan area, reducing congestion, improving freight flow and enhancing safety.Testament To Long Term Planning ExecutionThe ring‑road's completion, as noted by local reporters Dave Mitchell and his colleagues at CTV News Edmonton, stands as a testament to long‑term planning and decisive execution in Alberta's transportation landscape.