Edmonton Bike Park delayed again as spring rain stalls construction

The Edmonton Mountain Bike Alliance is postponing the opening of Edmonton's first-of-its-kind bike park after a record-breaking wet summer derailed construction timelines.

The Edmonton Bike Park was set to open Sept. 5 after an earlier July 25 target was pushed back. Now the alliance estimates the park will be ready by spring 2027.

Jesse Soneff, the alliance's construction manager, said volunteers faced relentless rain from spring through summer. "We'd have people come in and we would just be trying to mitigate how much damage was occurring — you know, redirecting water, digging trenches, running pumps," Soneff said. "If we were lucky, we'd get an hour or two in at a end of the day where we could actually make progress."

In June alone, the non-profit managed only about two days of productive work. By the end of July, Edmonton had recorded more than 500 millimetres of rain — the wettest summer on record, surpassing the previous 1953 mark of 417.1 millimetres.

Beyond weather, Joe Yurkovich, president of the alliance, said the project also faced damage from people illegally accessing and riding the jump lines. "We've also had some people unfortunately accessing the jump lines illegally and that has caused some damage," he said. "Hopefully people will understand that riding and using motorized vehicles on these trails really isn't in anyone's best interest."

The park is being built on a site in Queen Elizabeth Park formerly used as a wastewater treatment plant. Construction is estimated to cost $1.2 million, funded through donations and grants. The alliance initially faced opposition from conservationists who wanted the site to return to its natural state, though the group has committed to working with conservation partners on environmental protection.

While an official spring 2027 date hasn't been locked, Yurkovich expressed hope that riders could use parts of the park as early as October.