Construction of the Red Bull Crashed Ice course in downtown Edmonton is officially underway.

After hosting Red Bull Crashed Ice in Quebec City for nine straight years, the Ice Cross Downhill World Championship will be held in Edmonton on March 14.

Crews began pre-event construction Monday near the starting location of the track, on the south-side of Jasper Avenue on 98 Street, around the Shaw Conference Centre site and into Louise McKinney Park.

Construction will take place daily between 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. A spokesperson with the City of Edmonton says minimal traffic disruptions, focused during non-peak hours, will occur on Jasper Avenue and Grierson Hill. Park and trail access will be maintained leading up to the event.

Entering its 15th season, competition kicked off in St. Paul, Minn., on Jan. 22 followed by events in Helsinki, Finland (Feb. 5-7), and then Belfast, Northern Ireland (Feb. 19-21), and finally in Edmonton. The season finale stop is consistently renowned as the most iconic of the circuit.

In January, Red Bull Crashed Ice series boss and track designer, Christian Papillon, told the Edmonton Sun that the track will be "one of a kind."

"It will almost be a piece of art," said Papillon.

"We're going to go from roof to balcony to grass to asphalt with scaffolding between each different level. This will look really good for Edmonton. We're really close to the downtown skyscrapers, so altogether it will be the main picture of the event. I'm convinced it will be really, really great."

Construction time is expected to take several weeks. It took crews in St. Paul, Minn., 24 days to complete the track there, but Edmonton's is expected to be the most technical track on the tour, with a design that is said to be longer and steeper than others.

No roads will have to be closed to build the course.

Red Bull Crashed Ice is a free spectator event, with no tickets required.

For more information visit, redbullcrashedice.com.

Trevor.robb@sunmedia.ca

@SunTrevorRobb