EnCana tower construction on schedule, builder says

Developers of Calgary's tallest skyscraper promise 6th Avenue, currently closed because of construction, will be reopened in time for the Stampede parade.

Matthews Development Inc. gave media a tour of the future headquarters for EnCana on Thursday, showing off the progress made so far on the parking garage six stories below 6th Avenue.

"We are well along towards building [on] 6th Avenue and we are on schedule for delivery before the parade," said project manager Richard Tucker.

The avenue between 1st and Centre streets S.E. has been closed since last summer. The developer will face a fine of $14,000 a day if the road is not reopened on time for the Stampede parade, slated for July 4.

Parade organizers are working on an alternate route, but the builders say that won't be necessary.

The 59-storey curved building, called the Bow, covers two downtown blocks and will be home to EnCana's 3,300 employees in Calgary. Construction costs are estimated to reach $1 billion.

Crews are gearing up for a huge undertaking on the weekend of May 9-11, when several roads around the project will have to be closed for three days while the main concrete footing for the tower is poured.

Concrete trucks will make deliveries over 40 straight hours to pour 15,000 metres of solid concrete, three meters deep. The project could set a North American record for a single pour, the builders said.

By the time the building opens, expected in 2011, about 1,500 workers will have been involved in the construction.