CALGARY -- Alberta's minister of transportation says the council-approved plans for Calgary's Green Line LRT project are vastly different than what was originally proposed and the province will need time to analyze the details.
In a letter to Mayor Naheed Nenshi dated June 16, Ric McIver said the Government of Alberta intended to complete a "thorough and informed analysis of the benefits and risks" of the largest public infrastructure project in Alberta's history to ensure the province's $1.53 billion commitment will be used appropriately.
"The provincial government is committed to working with the City of Calgary as partners to ensure the Green Line is delivered in the best interest of those who need it, as well as the taxpayers who fund it," said McIver in his letter to Nenshi.
City council voted in favour of the revised plan for the first stage of the project on June 16. The first stage will be built in three segments and, once complete, will span from Shepard in the southeast, across the Bow River and toward 16th Avenue in the north, near Centre Street.
The estimated total cost of the project, with consideration for interest, is slated to be in the $5.5 billion range. The federal government has also pledged $1.53 billion to the Green Line.
McIver says the province's analysis will be expedited and its recommendations will be provided to the City of Calgary this summer.
