Brace yourself for lots of road construction this summer, as Calgary unveils $441M in projects
'We're helping people get around better and every bit of it is worth it,' says Mayor Nenshi
Whether you're on four wheels, two wheels or two legs, no one in Calgary will be able to escape the 2018 construction season.
This summer, the city is undertaking 29 major infrastructure projects and more than 40 paving projects that will see 212 kilometres of road around Calgary being resurfaced.
Included in the $441-million investment are three new intersections, one new interchange, five new roads, three new bridges and one flood mitigation project.
Mayor Naheed Nenshi said Wednesday he's happy to take the blame for the summer traffic jams.
"This summer, while you're stuck in construction and while you're cursing the mayor for all the construction, I'll take it," he said.
"Hopefully we will all be thankful that, while it's inconvenient while it's going on, the results of the work mean that we're investing in our infrastructure, and we're helping people get around better and every bit of it is worth it."
Among the projects, residents of northeast Calgary can look forward to the twinning of Metis Trail from Airport Avenue to 80th Avenue N.E., while major repaving will be done on Barlow Trail, Heritage Drive and 14th Street N.E.
Minimizing impact
Kerensa Fromherz, the city's new director of transportation infrastructure, said the city recognizes construction affects everyone and they are working with communities and businesses to help minimize the construction frustration as much as possible.
One of those ways is by narrowing lanes instead of outright closing them, especially during peak travel hours, in an effort to keep traffic moving.
They also announced in April that construction on the 17th Avenue S.W. rebuild would halt for two months — starting right around Stampede — to allow businesses to take full advantage of summer patio season.
Nenshi said this year's construction will create 3,500 jobs.
To help reduce the construction commute aggravation, the city advises travellers to check @yyctransport on Twitter and to check Google maps for updates on traffic congestion and accident notifications.
A full list of the paving projects can be found on the city's website
Corrections
- An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the city will be doing more than 400 road paving projects during this year's construction season. In fact, more than 40 road paving projects are planned.Jun 06, 2018 6:31 PM MT