How 2026's record-breaking rainfall affected Edmonton's construction season

Edmonton's construction season has come to an end, but what does that mean for you? Well the big theme this year was rainfall, so let's dive into some of the changes that are coming our way. The city along with many parts of the province was hit by record-breaking rainfall in 2026. In fact, Environment and Climate Change Canada says it was Edmonton's rainiest ever summer. The downpours wreaked havoc on municipal infrastructure and a number of major construction projects like the Yellowhead Trail freeway conversion program. One of the things that we're working on and in the section here is we're actually building substantial improvements in our drainage infrastructure but currently it's under construction so we're in a period of temporary drainage and so it's unfortunate that we weren't you know a year or two from now when that new drainage infrastructure is finished because we wouldn't have seen as many impacts on the Yellowhead freeway. Right now, the city is juggling more than 200 projects. Officials say 80% of projects are on schedule and 90% are on budget. And according to the mayor, accelerating some of those helped to power through this year's challenges. While most of our infrastructure withstood the rainfall, we are collaborating with EPCOR and industry partners to upgrade drainage systems where needed and building long-term resilience for our city. This year several major projects were completed including Horlock Park and the Coronation Park Recreation Center but the city says there's still plenty of work remaining on the Valley Line West and Capital Line South LRT projects. One thing the city does want to achieve is reopening key corridors like Wellington Bridge before winter starts. It's been closed since September 2025 For a full replacement. Marialy Anchin, CBC News, Edmonton.