Calgary's ring road, decades in the making, now complete

Following years of intensive work and decades of planning, Calgary's ring road is now complete.

Premier Danielle Smith, Mayor Jyoti Gondek and Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen were all in the city on Monday for the announcement.

"We have been waiting for this day for, quite literally, decades," Smith said.

"From the concept to the decision to the planning and the design and the construction to today, we've finally accomplished what has been a very ambitious project and one that has been so critical to Calgarians and residents of the metro region now and in the generations to come."

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The announcement came as work wrapped up on the final nine kilometres of the highway, between Highway 8 and the Trans-Canada Highway.

Officials say the new section, known as the West Calgary ring road, will save drivers about 20 minutes of driving time as well as reduce the traffic burden on other main routes in Calgary.

"Today's announcement means we'll have better options for anyone travelling in the west side of the city," Gondek said. "It's also a significant addition to our goods movement strategy, ultimately aiding economic growth for Calgary, the Tsuut'ina Nation, Rocky View County and the Calgary metropolitan region as a whole."

Dreeshen said about $4 billion went into the completion of the ring road and the completion comes 10 months ahead of schedule. It's also on budget.

"It's easy for politicians to take credit for other people's work, but this was a huge team effort and you can actually go back to the visionary leadership of Peter Lougheed.

"Back in the '70s, he had the foresight to set aside land to build a transportation utility corridor to make this highway that we're standing on a reality."

The route, which provides 101-kilometres of free-flow traffic, is expected to be opened in stages for drivers starting at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

By noon, it will have fully opened.