Edmonton Transit Service Lakewood Transit Centre

Lakewood Transit Centre is located along 28 Ave in Mill Woods, near the Mill Woods Rec Centre, J. Percy Page High School, and Holy Trinity High School. It was previously located adjacent to Grant McEwan's Mill Woods Campus, but Grant McEwan has since moved out and the original building demolished with a new health care focused campus under construction.
Lakewood was the first transit centre in Mill Woods, followed later by Millgate, and finally the Mill Woods Transit Centre in 2000. With the opening of the Mill Woods Transit Centre, a number of routes where shifted there, and while a large number of routes still passed through Lakewood, ETS did refer to it as a major off road bus stop. At this point, it was only some peak hour 66's that terminated at Lakewood.
As Edmonton expanded to the south, the route 78 and 79 were created and operated out of Lakewood, adding to the route 66's that started/ terminated there. Ultimately, the 78 and 79 would be expand to run between Mill Woods Transit Centre and Century Park, completely bypassing Lakewood altogether. The 78 and 79 were the only para transit routes to operate out of Lakewood, until the 526 was added.
As ETS routes evolved in the late 2010's, a number of express extensions were eliminated and replaced with additional runs of route 15 Expresses, eliminating the route 64, 65, and 66 Downtown extensions.
With the BNR on April 25, 2021 Lakewood really did take on the role of a major off road bus stop, being limited to the routes the 509 A and B variants, 512, 513, and on weekends the 526. Additionally school routes 632, 642, and 661 serve Lakewood, with the 653 formerly serving it. The 642 is the only route, regular or school routes, that will display "Lakewood" these days. Lakewood is no longer listed on the main ETS system map, or the individual route brochures, although it does appear on the school route maps.

The overall design of Lakewood is similar to it's contemporaries of the time, Kaskitayo and Castle Downs. The terminal has a centre island which is populated by standard bus shelters, and then a stand alone portable style operators washroom. There was no main shelter building, and no heated shelters. With the opening of the Mill Woods Transit Centre, the operator washrooms were removed.
Bus shelters were replaced of time, transitioning between the "high floor" aluminum shelters mounted on a wood base, to "low floor" aluminum shelters mounted directly to the concrete, and then finally the current Daytec glass shelters.
During the summer of 2017 the entire transit centre had all of the concrete for the passenger platform and bus driveway rebuilt. During this time Lakewood was relocated to 29 Ave, with the Eastbound stop outside of the former Grant McEwan building, and the Westbound stop outside of St. Theresas's Catholic Church. The rebuild included proper length articulated bus bays.

Lakewood Transit Centre
Low floor's and a GM at Lakewood. 1998	Multiple GM's and a single low floor at Lakwood. 1998	A double parked 69 and 64 at Lakewood, along with a high floor aluminum shelter. June 2000	A 389 as a 62 school special and 238 behind. June 2000	3 200's, and 2 GM on layover. June 2000
Westbound Lakewood with only 1 low floor. June 2000	Triple parked GM's at Lakewood, some being school runs. June 2001	Lakewood emptied of shelters and other furniture, with notices up about it's closure for rebuilding. July 6, 2017	Lakewood emptied of shelters and other furniture, with notices up about it's closure for rebuilding. July 6, 2017	Lakewood emptied of shelters and other furniture, with notices up about it's closure for rebuilding. July 6, 2017
The last day for Lakewood Transit Centre, before being demoted under the BNR. A lot of stop closing notices. April 24, 2021	The last day for Lakewood Transit Centre, before being demoted under the BNR. Info posts which would later be removed. April 24, 2021
Temporary Stops During Summer 2017 Along 29 Ave and Lakewood Road East
Westbound replacement bus stop on 29 Ave. July 9, 2017	While not an actual "Lakewood TC" stop, 2 stops on Lakewood Road East also became stops for all of the buses. Usually this stop would have only served the 71 and 81. This stop is Southbound on Lakewood Road East and 29 Ave. July 9, 2017	A bus at the Westwood stop, while an Eastbound bus passes by. July 27, 2017	Again, not an actual "Lakewood TC" stop. This one is Northbound on Lakewood Road East at 28 Ave. Note that ETS used "Transit Centre" style bus stop sign two stops on Lakewood Road, and neither had the "Bus Stop" logo on them. August 27, 2017	ETS Bus Stop Limit sign for the Eastbound stop on 29 Ave. It is interesting that ETS reused an existing sign post, which before and after was a 'No Parking" sign. August 28, 2017
Lakewood Transit Centre reopening signage. September 1, 2017.	Lakewood Transit Centre reopening signage. September 1, 2017.