A heavily-used gravel road in rural south Edmonton is drawing complaints from area residents who say worsening conditions are making it nearly undriveable — especially after recent rain.

The stretch of 153 Street SW, also known as Range Road 253, between 73 Avenue SW and Highway 19 has evolved from a quiet country road into a busy commuter route in recent years.

Locals say the increased traffic has taken a toll.

“It’s teeth-chattering,” said resident Chris Blake, who has lived along the road since 2001. “It shakes every bolt and piece of plastic in your car.”

The area used to be part of Leduc County but was annexed by the City of Edmonton in 2019.

Since then — and even before — Blake has watched the condition of the unpaved road steadily decline into a rutted, muddy mess that requires vehicles to slow to a crawl in some sections or risk suspension damage.

After a heavy rainfall like the Edmonton region experienced over the past three days, the road gets even worse.

The route has become a popular shortcut for drivers travelling between the city and the Edmonton International Airport and Nisku areas  — often used to avoid the nearby adjacent Highway 2.

While Global News was in the area Wednesday morning, there was a steady stream of traffic traversing the bumpy dirt road, including several Amazon delivery trucks.

Blake said the city grades and adds gravel to the road a few times a year, but those fixes only last for days before the surface deteriorates again, particularly in wet weather.

According to Blake, the road was never designed to handle the current volume of traffic, resulting in heavy wear and tear on vehicles and disruptions for nearby residents.

Frustrated by the lack of long-term solutions, Blake has started handing out flyers to commuters, urging them to contact the city and the area councillor.

“There’s not much I can do but voice my frustration, because I live on this road,” he said. “If I was anybody other than the few families that live on this road, I would take any other road … but unfortunately, I am stuck.”

Blake said residents ultimately want the range road paved.

The City of Edmonton said there is currently no active construction project or capital funding earmarked for the stretch.

Mayor Andrew Knack said the city faces competing demands as it sets its budget.

“The message that I want to drive home with Edmontonians is that we have a lot of different priorities coming up in this four-year budget,” he said.