Deerfoot Trail drivers who frequently travel over the Ivor Strong Bridge will notice major delays in the months to come.
The bridge, located south of Anderson Road S.E. and north of Douglasdale Boulevard S.E., will undergo rehabilitation beginning Friday.
During the construction, speed limits in each direction will be reduced to 50 km/h and various lane closures will be put in place. It’s expected the changes will cause big backups on Deerfoot Trail S.E., especially during rush hour.
“It’s going to be crazy,” south Calgary resident Bridget Calvank complained. “It’s going to take forever to get to work, to get the kids to school.”
“It’s going to be bad no matter what.”
“Sometimes there is unavoidable congestion,” Anna Neale with Alberta Transportation conceded. “Part of what we’re doing to mitigate that effect is having our crews work day and night for seven days a week.”
Construction is expected to last until July 4.
The cost of the rehabilitation is approximately $2.4 million.
It’s estimated over 100,000 vehicles pass over the bridge every day.
– With files from Bindu Suri and Doug Vaessen