The city is asking for public input into three proposed LRT routes for the new northwest line. (CBC)

The city has announced three potential routes that would take the northwest LRT from NAIT to Edmonton's boundary with St. Albert.

"It's a significant project in that it represents our first opportunity to go through the municpal airport lands. Put the LRT down as part of the design and development of that site," city transportation general manager Bob Boutilier said Wednesday.

In all cases, the routes would start at the yet-to-be-constructed LRT station at NAIT and end at a proposed park-and-ride southeast of St. Albert at Campbell Road and Anthony Henday Drive. What would differ in each scenario is the route the train would take.

The three corridors under consideration are known as the St. Albert Trail, 127th St. or 113A Street options.

• The St. Albert Trail route would take trains northwest from the NAIT station across the City Centre Airport lands to Yellowhead Trail. They would then travel up St. Albert Trail to the park and ride facility. There are two additional versions of this route. In one, the trains would go further north of the Yellowhead by travelling along 127th Avenue and then turning onto 142nd St. In the third variation, the route would go west of NAIT along 118th Avenue, onto Groat Road and connect with St. Albert Trail.
• The 127th St. corridor would travel across the airport lands, going to Yellowhead up to 127th St., and then continuing to the park and ride facility via 137th Ave. or 153rd Ave.
• The 113A Street corridor starts at NAIT, crosses the airport lands, and then goes up 113A St. The trains would then continue on to the park and ride facility via 137th Ave. or 153rd Ave.

"These are options that we started with initially and we had other options on the table and through what we call a level one screening evaluation process which looks at environmental suitability, feasibility and constructability, we narrowed it down to these three options," transportation planner Adam Laughlin said.

The city posted an online survey on its website Wednesday which will gather public reaction on the three routes until Feb. 24. Workshops and more online consultation are coming in March and a final recommendation will be passed on to city council in June.

In October, city council determined the northwest line would go north up 106th Street from Grant MacEwan University to the north side of Princess Elizabeth Avenue, just east of the Avonair Curling Club.

A temporary station will be built on the southern end of the NAIT campus, which may be replaced by a permanent station when the City Centre Airport is closed and the land is redeveloped.

The city hopes to have that extension of the line completed by 2014.

City council also recently approved the routes for the new west and southeast lines of the system.