CALGARY- The city’s transportation committee heard the pros and cons Wednesday of various route options for the north-central LRT, but one major problem surfaced: how to get across the Bow River.
The committee was presented with two options to cross the Bow. One plan calls for an underground tunnel that would emerge past 16th Avenue. The other option is to put the tracks on the Centre Street Bridge. That would take out two lanes of traffic but would be considerably less expensive.
There are also two options for the north-central route north of 16th Avenue: either along Edmonton Trail or Centre Street.
Councillor Sean Chu says he needs more information before deciding which one is best.
“What I like is the route with the least disruption of life and then not to take too many traffic lanes,” says Chu. “As we heard in the committee, close to 20,000 vehicles a day take Centre Street. I believe it’s less on Edmonton Trail.”
Calgarian Peter Izzo, who owns a business and an income property on Edmonton Trail, says he is opposed to the Edmonton Trail route.
“How do we access our business? How do our commercial vehicles leave the property? I think the traffic will be worse.”
Council is expected to finalize the route later this year although construction isn’t expected to begin until 2030, and only if funding is in place.
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