Anthony Henday Drive, the ring road encircling Edmonton, Alberta, has faced significant concerns regarding surface undulation and ride quality, particularly in specific sections of the roadway. Below, I address these issues based on the provided search results, focusing on documented problems, causes, and ongoing or planned interventions.
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: A 14-kilometer stretch of Southwest Anthony Henday Drive (SWAHD) between Calgary Trail and Lessard Road, constructed with Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) pavement and opened in 2006, has exhibited notable surface undulation and poor ride quality. A forensic evaluation detailed in a 2019 report highlights that the pavement condition is fair to poor, with smoothness being a major concern. Drivers have reported severe discomfort, with one describing the experience as "horrendous" and feeling like "it will rattle you right out of your seat" when towing a trailer67.
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: The investigation into the SWAHD section identified multiple distresses contributing to undulation, including cracked panels, faulting of panels, failed joint sealants, and spalling of concrete. Additionally, partial depth repairs from 2012/2013 have largely failed, exacerbating ride quality issues6.
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: The road was designed to handle 30,000 to 40,000 vehicles per day by 2025, but actual traffic volumes have reached around 92,000 vehicles daily since opening. This significant overload has accelerated wear and contributed to surface irregularities7.
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: Poor subsurface drainage is a primary factor in the pavement's poor performance. Unsealed longitudinal and transverse joints allow surface water to infiltrate beneath the concrete, leading to moisture differentials that cause warping of the slabs. This warping directly contributes to surface undulation. Additionally, shallow drainage ditches with standing water and low hydraulic conductivity soils exacerbate water accumulation under the pavement6.
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: Alberta's extreme temperature variations have been cited as a contributing factor to the premature cracking and distress of the concrete. Misplaced dowel bars connecting concrete slabs and initial joint sealant loss shortly after construction have also played a role in the uneven surface7.
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: Major rehabilitation was undertaken in 2012-2013, including partial and full-depth panel replacements, cross-stitching of cracks, dowel bar placement, slab jacking, and diamond grinding across nine lane-kilometers to improve ride quality. Despite these efforts, ride quality issues persist, necessitating ongoing maintenance for cracked panels, drainage, and joint resealing67.
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: As part of a $125-million expansion project (2019-2022), rehabilitation efforts costing $15-20 million are focused on the concrete section between Lessard Road and Calgary Trail. This includes panel replacement, drainage improvements, dowel bar fixes, and joint sealant repairs. Diamond grinding was chosen over an asphalt overlay to address ride quality, with the potential for asphalt overlay consideration in future rehabilitations. The current work aims to extend the pavement's lifespan by 10-15 years7.
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: International Roughness Index (IRI) data has been collected biennially since 2010 to track pavement smoothness, with analyses showing continued deterioration despite interventions. Further forensic investigations in 2017 used tools like ground penetrating radar and LiDAR to assess underlying issues such as voids and drainage, guiding future rehabilitation strategies6.
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: While the search results focus heavily on the Southwest section, there are no specific mentions of surface undulation concerns in the Northeast or Southeast sections of Anthony Henday Drive. The Northeast section, a 27-km highway with 6-8 lanes, has been in operation since 2016, and the Southeast section is under a 30-year maintenance contract with Lafarge, but no ride quality issues are documented in the provided data810.
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: Beyond pavement undulation, other infrastructure issues like the delayed repair of the Whitemud Drive overpass (hit by an excavator in 2023, with completion now pushed into 2025) cause traffic disruptions but are unrelated to surface quality5.
Conclusion
Surface undulation concerns on Anthony Henday Drive are most pronounced in the Southwest section between Calgary Trail and Lessard Road, where poor ride quality, driven by drainage issues, excessive traffic, climate impacts, and construction flaws, has led to significant driver discomfort and pavement distress. Multiple rehabilitation efforts have been implemented since 2012, with ongoing work as part of a broader expansion project aiming to mitigate these issues. However, the long-term effectiveness of these interventions remains under evaluation, with potential for alternative solutions like asphalt overlays in the future. For other sections of the ring road, no similar undulation concerns are evident in the provided search results.
Citations:
- https://www.edmonton.ca/sites/default/files/public-files/CN-AHD-Access-Road-April-2025.pdf?cb=1743832805
- https://www.edmonton.ca/sites/default/files/public-files/20250508-CLSE-General-Project-Update.pdf?cb=1746770582
- https://pathsforpeople.org/2025/03/transformational-active-transportation-projects-in-2025/
- https://pub-edmonton.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=248837
- https://globalnews.ca/news/10619868/edmonton-whitemud-drive-overpass-anthony-henday-delayed-construction/
- https://www.tac-atc.ca/wp-content/uploads/sharma_forensic_evaluation_anthony_henday_drive_portland_cement_concrete_pavement.pdf
- https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/cracked-up-concrete-section-of-anthony-henday-ring-road-undergoing-2nd-major-rehab-1.5889766
- https://www.meridiam.com/assets/northeast-anthony-henday-drive-neah-alberta-canada/
- https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/6d1bc524-7858-45de-aab9-88b1f73bb4f8/resource/d896892c-d9c3-4b4f-bfd5-e63a26667efe/download/ahdnerfp.pdf
- https://www.lafarge.ca/en/southeast-anthony-henday-drive-ring-road
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