The west portion of Calgary’s ring road has been opened to traffic, completing the full 101-kilometre ring road 10 months early.
The ribbon cutting ceremony via pickup truck involving the premier, mayor and transportation minister was decades in the making.
Standing at an overpass connecting 17th Avenue Southwest and Stoney Trail on the west portion of the ring road, Premier Danielle Smith called it a “truly historic day” that was the result of a “team Alberta effort” over three different governments and many more transportation ministers.
“I say historic because today’s announcement is a gamechanger for Calgarians and for all commuters who are traversing the city, and (using) the bypass to get to the mountains,” Smith said.
“We were all just talking here about how each of us is going to be personally impacted by this. I know it’s going to be a whole lot easier for me to go from High River to get into the mountains. I’m so excited.”
Smith said the ring road will ease congestion in the city’s other roads and have drivers sitting in less stop-and-go traffic.
“It also means safer routes for long-haul truck drivers and commercial carriers,” the premier said.
The province said the early completion was helped by warm and dry weather, allowing the construction crews more work days.
Mayor Jyoti Gondek said the road allows for better options for anyone driving on the west side of the city and matches the city’s goods moving strategy.
“It’s also a significant addition to our goods movement strategy, ultimately aiding economic growth for Calgary, for the Tsuut’ina Nation, for Rocky View County and the Calgary Metropolitan Region as a whole,” Gondek said.
She also said the city contributed $25 million in road, path and sidewalk infrastructure along arteries like Bow Trail, Old Banff Coach Road and 85th Street Southwest.
Gondek said the city and the province’s transportation teams will place temporary cameras along the new section of the ring road to better adjust timing of traffic signals.
“We believe in strong partnership between governments because that’s when we can deliver projects that add to people’s quality of life,” Gondek said.
Current Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen said the work to pave a road circumnavigating the city started in 1999 at a total cost of more than $4 billion. Dreeshen also credited former premier Peter Lougheed with the “foresight” to earmark the land for a utility corridor, saying the new portion of the ring road is “critical” to develop economic corridors.
Dreeshen said the full opening of the ring road will help move traffic coming into and out of the city in all cardinal directions.
“Opening this ring road means obviously new travel options for Calgarians, (it) seamlessly connects major highways such as the Trans-Canada, east and west, and Highway 2 going north and south,” the minister of transportation and economic corridors said.
“The road has been designed to accommodate up to 100,000 vehicles per day.
“And with this final section opening, drivers will save, in the west side here in Calgary, we’ll say about 20 minutes one way travelling through this area.”