Road work ahead: Calgary lays out construction projects on the go this year

With more than $140 million in infrastructure investment scheduled for the construction season in Calgary this year, officials say the city is moving ahead with projects to improve movement on roads and access to many communities and businesses.

Officials say a lot of work was completed in 2020 and 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic and this year presents an opportunity to invest even more resources.

"I'm excited for our opportunity to continue investing in Calgary’s future and creating more jobs for Calgarians through our projects this year," said Kerensa Swanson Fromherz, the City of Calgary's director of transportation infrastructure in a release.

The projects scheduled for this year include highway interchanges, flood mitigation projects, community improvements, bridge work and transit improvements.

Phase 2 Airport Trail N.E.

The second phase of the Airport Trail project will include the completion of construction on two interchanges to link the road with Deerfoot Trail and Stoney Trail.

That work will begin in the spring and is expected to wrap up in the fall with all the roads opened to the public.

"The extension of Airport Trail supports the ongoing development and growth of this area as well as the entire northeast area," said project manager Sig Undheim.

"Completing this project is an important part of a safe, effective transportation network."

Eau Claire Area Improvements

A lot of work is planned for the community of Eau Claire, the city says, such as the replacement of the Jaipur Bridge, constructing a flood barrier for downtown Calgary and the Eau Claire promenade and finishing the redesigned Eau Claire Plaza.

The Jaipur Bridge was removed in 2019 when inspectors discovered "accelerated deterioration" in its structure. The city has budgeted $9.6 million for a replacement.

"It is exciting to see this transformation of public infrastructure take shape," said project manager Joyce Tang. "We saw the well-engineered structures and foundation take shape in 2021, and I am most excited to see this integrated design project come to life with meticulously designed landscape features draped over top."

Further details on the work planned this year can be found online.

2022 Bridge rehabilitation

While work on the Jaipur Bridge is ongoing this year, the city says crews will be working on a number of other bridges through the construction season.

These include:

• Centre Street Lower Deck;
• 16 Avenue/University Drive N.W.;
• Shouldice (Hextall) N.W. pedestrian bridge; and
• McKnight Boulevard/east Centre Street N.E. street pedestrian bridge.

"Maintaining bridges through both routine and preventative types of maintenance assists in keeping bridge deterioration in check," said bridge maintenance manager Charmaine Buhler. "This work will improve drivers' safety, network reliability, and extend the service life of the bridges."

CTrain station work and Green Line preparations

Calgary Transit says an efficient and well-maintained transit system is important to Calgarians, so it is coordinating work for a number of its LRT stations.

That work includes repairing concrete, repainting structures, deep cleaning high-traffic stations, repairing and improving lighting and maintaining tracks.

"The good weather in the spring and summer gives us a great opportunity to complete maintenance or upgrade work so that we can continue to provide this important service year-round for our customers," said Stephen Tauro with Calgary Transit.

Meanwhile, work on the Green Line LRT is still moving ahead this year, with the most recent development in the project being the release of a request for qualifications for Phase 1 of the project.

Further details can be found on the city's website.