Changes to west Calgary LRT route boost price by $20M

Calgary's latest plan for the western leg of the LRT will cost an extra $20 million and take longer to build than the original proposal, select community groups learned Tuesday night.

The city unveiled its newest plan for the eight-kilometre, six-station C-Train route, which will run along the Bow Trail, 33rd Street and 17th Avenue S.W., before roughly 15 people at an invitation-only meeting.

The original, $700-million plan, approved by city council in November, called for an elevated track running 22 metres over Crowchild Trail. Residents of Sunalta and Scarboro protested the plan, citing concerns over noise and the height of the track.

In response to those complaints, the city has mapped out a new route, pushing a portion of the tracks northward and moving a section down to street level, where it would run along the median of Bow Trail for several blocks.

Mayor Dave Bronconnier said this shift means the project will take longer to construct, as Bow Trail would need to be rebuilt to accommodate the tracks.

He said the plan "provides reasonable trade-off by moving the line further north, into the centre median of Bow Trail, rather than closer to the adjacent residential homes, but at the same time, it will take longer to construct, and it will cost about $20 million more."

The area's alderman, John Mar, said he thinks the new proposal meets the needs of both the community and the city.

"It achieves a compromise between what the community's concerns are and the mobility that Calgarians need," he said.

"It's really a city-wide issue, and what do we want Calgary to look like 50, 60, 100 years from now? I believe very strongly that we don't want to have elevated guideways and bridges and overpasses cutting through established roadways again and again."

It's estimated that 40,000 people will ride trains daily from the west side to downtown when the line opens in 2012.

Residents say they need more details

While politicians called the plan a compromise, residents said they were concerned it didn't go far enough to address their concerns.

Peter Rishaug, of the Best West LRT group, said the new plan "may address some of the community concerns" but that he's still concerned about the environmental and social impacts of the changes.

"I would consider it a band-aid, compromised solution," he added. "We're still awaiting any type of study or reference to study on this new tweaked alignment. So I think we're still in the same position. Communities are still wanting to look at more detail and [get] more information on those impacts, and they still have a lot of questions unanswered."

For Glendale resident Jim Kelly, one of those questions is the difference between having the tracks running above ground or at ground level. He said he needs to see an independent audit on the two possibilities before he can decide which he prefers.

"We get this information days, if not hours, before we are expected to respond or make a comment on it. It needs to be verified or vetted out," he said.

Sprucecliffe representative Colleen Miller said she feels the expansion is moving too quickly for people to clearly understand the social, economic and environmental impact on their homes.

"Mayor Bronconnier wants to put his name on this, and it should be something he's proud of," she said. "He should do everything in his power to make sure that the work is done properly."

Miller also said she was concerned about plans to tear down a high school to make room for the route.

The public will get a chance to weigh in on the proposal when it goes before council next week.

Council hopes to begin construction next year, with the route completed in 2012.