After every Calgary Flames game, fans pour out of the Saddledome and into the Victoria Park/Stampede LRT station to get home.
Now, a new report from the city is recommending the old station be torn down and replaced with a new one that would open up access from 17 Avenue to the Stampede grounds.
“This is necessary to allow connectivity to make sure we are able to move through and get the residents where they are going,” Councillor Shane Keating said.
The proposed project would cost $60 million and be funded through a community revitalization levy. The report recommends the project be handled by Calgary Municipal Lands Corporation as part of the Rivers District Master Plan, which was already approved by council in December.
CMLC acknowledges there would be disruption during construction and there may be delays for drivers to allow time for pedestrians to cross.
“What that is going to bring, is obviously some level of congestion to traffic flow, but it’s going to bring additional retail and additional residential, and it’s going to mean growth of our tax base, which will ultimately benefit Calgarians in a community that’s been sitting stagnant for many years,” said Michael Brown, the CEO of CMLC.
The new station would be at-grade, which the report says will improve connectivity for all modes of transportation and provide greater accessibility for Calgarians with limited mobility.
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Transit users that Global News spoke to said they are in support of the new station and removing the stairs that lead to the overpass to the Stampede station.
“Changing it to just a crosswalk and getting this whole thing out of here, it would be great for this community,” said area resident Tracy Orobko. “I think it would be a good change — less places for people to hide away.”
The new train platform would be lower, larger and better able to handle more passengers.
The proposed project would take three years to build, beginning next July.
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