Airport tunnel land settled, but not funding

The Calgary Airport Authority and the city have agreed to prepare land for a tunnel under a new runway — even though there's no word on where money for the project would come from.

After a private meeting on Monday afternoon, the airport authority agreed to set aside 22 hecatres of land, which could be used for a potential tunnel, Ald. Jim Stevenson told CBC News.

Busy Barlow Trail between 48th Avenue and Airport Road is slated to close in April 2011 for construction of a fourth airport runway. The tunnel would create an east-west artery across the city's northeast, connecting 96th Avenue east to 36th Street N.E. at a cost of $287 million.

The Calgary Airport Authority and the city agreed in December 2009 to jointly cover $90 million, but the provincial and federal governments rejected a request to fund the remaining $197 million cost.

"With the realization that funding will not be available at this time, [the city and airport authority] have agreed to revisit the possibility of adding the 96th Avenue extension, and associated tunnel under the fourth runway at a future date," said a news release from the city late Monday.

For now, the city will focus on compensating for the impending Barlow Trail closure by upgrading roads to:

• Connect 36 Street N.E. to 48th Avenue N.E.
• Connect Metis Trail up to Country Hills Boulevard.
• Upgrade Country Hills across to Barlow Trail.

City planners hope that will "fully accommodate all current and future traffic requirements," said the release.

"We've let the taxpayers of Calgary down," said Stevenson, who has been lobbying for the tunnel. "We're back to the old thing about reacting to growth, rather than planning for growth."