Construction on the west side of the 1 Street S.W. underpass begins on Monday and the city says improvements will be made to provide greater safety and comfort for pedestrians.

The underpass runs under the train tracks linking the Beltline to the city’s downtown and is used by about 9500 people a day.

The walkway is below one of the city’s oldest railroad bridges and is also an important part of Calgary’s history.

“The 1 Street S.W. underpass was prioritized for enhancement because it has the highest pedestrian use of all Centre City underpasses, was identified by community stakeholders as an important gateway connection, and in recognition of its significance as a heritage structure,” said Graham Gerylo, Centre City Implementation Project Manager.

“Calgary Downtown Association is very excited about seeing improvements to the various underpasses in the centre city, starting with 1 Street,” said Maggie Schofield, Executive Director of Calgary Downtown Association. “This has been a great collaborative effort involving many groups and organizations in working towards the enhancement of a very well-used pedestrian corridor and important connector to downtown.”

The city says the project will address a number of safety and comfort issues including; poor lighting, water drainage problems, uneven sidewalks and general deterioration of the underpass structure.

Crews will get started on the project on Monday and the west side of the walkway, between 9th and 10th Avenues, will be closed starting on Sunday, January 25.

One southbound lane will also be closed to traffic to allow crews room to work and pedestrians will be able to use the east side of the walkway during that time.

The city says once improvements are complete on the west side, crews will move across the street to the east side to finish the job.

The project is part of a broader underpass improvement program and will cost about $3.8M.

Construction on the underpass is expected to be complete by the summer of 2015.

For more information on the 1 Street S.W. Underpass Enhancement program, click HERE.

Enhancements were designed for both the underpass structure and the pedestrian environment extending from 9 to 10 Avenue S.W.