Thousands of residents were very happy when a deal was struck to build the highway through the southwest section of Calgary, but many are still anxious about the actual route.
Concerned members of the public will be meeting at the Cedarbrae Community Centre (11024 Oakfield Dr S.W.) to learn more about the designs for the Elbow River Valley Crossing Area on Tuesday evening.
The meeting is being hosted by the Weaselhead-Glenmore Park Preservation Society, and many representatives from Alberta Transportation will be in attendance.
The concerns for residents range from a number of issues including the project's impact on drinking water and wildlife and issues around flood protection.
Organizers say that there is quite a large concern about the literal cost too but they're worried that might prompt planners to cut costs and sacrifice conserving the area. "To date, the public has been really enraged by the $5B price that's been slapped on the road, " says Lisa Dahlseide of the Weaselhead-Glenmore Park Preservation Society. "So, as public pressure continues to be 'this is too expensive, we need to make it cheaper'. They're going to make it cheaper and build the cheapest and dirtiest design through the Elbow River Crossing."
The deal to complete the final 31 km of highway was inked on November 27, 2013.
The plans include:
- 66 bridges (including bridges spanning the Bow River, Elbow River and Fish Creek)
- 20 interchanges
- Two underpasses (including a rail underpass)
- 31 kilometres of divided highway (six or eight lanes)
- 10 kilometres of connector road upgrades
The meeting begins at 7 p.m.
