If the city has one New Year's resolution for 2016, it's this: no more project delays.

To that end, everything the City of Edmonton builds is about to come under new management. Next month the city will launch a new department, to be responsible for millions of dollars worth of construction projects.

The new department was born from frustrations this past year about delays on the Metro LRT Line, the Walterdale bridge and the 102nd Avenue bridge.

"I think we can do better, and we will," Mayor Don Iveson said.

Right now, each department is responsible for its own projects. The new department will be staffed by 800 to 1,000 employees from across the city who will work together.

"We put them together under one of our strongest managers, a fellow named Adam Laughlin, who is turning around project management," Iveson said.

It's a huge responsibility for Laughlin, who has worked for the city for about a decade designing roads and LRT, managing neighbourhood renewal and the construction and maintenance of city parks.

The new integrated infrastructure services department will oversee the design and construction of everything the city builds, including roads, libraries and the Valley LRT Line.

It will also take over the Metro Line, the Walterdale bridge and the 102nd Avenue bridge.

"What we need to do is learn from the ones that didn't go well and apply it to future (projects,)" Laughlin said.

He added the other goal of the department is to make sure the city is transparent about the progress on major projects.

Right now an estimated 80 per cent of city projects are completed on time, and nearly 100 per cent are on budget, Laughlin said.

He warned, though, that projects will go awry in the future; it's the nature of construction. He said what's important is how the city handles it.

"This department isn't a silver bullet," he said. "It's a step in the direction to make sure we're delivering efficiently and effectively on behalf of the citizens and council."

The integrated infrastructure services department launches Jan. 4.