WATCH: Premier Notley has acknowledged a commitment to the ring road agreement between Alberta and the Tsuu T’ina Nation. As Doug Vaessen reports a completion date is within site.
CALGARY – Alberta’s provincial government pledged to complete construction on the southwest Calgary Ring Road within seven years in an announcement on Tuesday afternoon.
“We want to provide a safe, modern highway network that will improve the commutes of Albertans in and around the city of Calgary and support economic growth in the province,” said Minister of Transportation Brian Mason.
The land transfer between the province and the Tsuu T’ina Nation was finalized on May 22, after the federal government authorized changes to the boundaries of the Nation. The government of Alberta and Tsuu T’ina Nation originally signed the land transfer agreement in Nov. 2013.
About 2,100 hectares will be added to the Nation, and more than 400 hectares will be transferred to Alberta. The southwest Calgary ring road is set to run from 69 Street SW to Highway 2A.
“Our goal with the Southwest Calgary Ring Road was to create economic opportunity for future generations at Tsuu T’ina,” said Tsuu T’ina Nation Chief Roy Whitney in a statement. “As per the agreement, today’s announcement is an important milestone.”
READ MORE: Southwest ring road set to proceed as Tsuu T’ina Nation boundary changes approved
Wildrose Leader Brian Jean said in a release he was “pleased” to see the process to complete the road is going forward, but the party called for a specific timeline on its completion.
“It’s a bit disingenuous to talk about how much this ring road will help traffic around Calgary when we still have no idea when they are actually going to finish it,” said Wildrose Shadow Transportation Minister Glenn van Dijken in a statement. “The PCs didn’t plan to finish the final leg of the ring road for at least another decade, and the NDP are now following suit.”
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