Construction of the West Calgary Ring Road, scheduled to begin in 2019, will complete the circle around Calgary and alleviate traffic congestion in the commercial heart of Alberta.
The final section of the ring road includes more than nine kilometres along the west side of the city between Highway 8 and the Trans-Canada Highway. Once complete, the Calgary Ring Road will provide 101 kilometres of free-flow travel around the city.
The West Calgary Ring Road, expected to accommodate approximately 80,000 vehicles per day, is the final piece of a decades-long plan to provide improved travel options to the Calgary region for residents, travellers, and commercial carriers alike. The construction of the West Calgary Ring Road is expected to support up to 2,600 direct construction jobs.
“Completing the ring road is critical to the continued growth and economic prosperity of the Calgary region and all of Alberta,” said Brian Mason, minister of transportation. “It will also improve safety and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by relieving congestion on city streets.”
The project includes three segments:
- North: approximately three kilometres of six- and eight-lane divided freeway between Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway) and the Old Banff Coach Road and reconstruction of approximately five kilometres of Highway 1. This segment includes 18 bridges, two interchanges (Highway 1 and Valley Ridge Boulevard) and one flyover (1 Avenue SW).
- South: approximately four kilometres of six- and eight-lane divided freeway between Old Banff Coach Road and Highway 8, with seven bridges and four interchanges (Old Banff Coach Road, Bow Trail, 17 Avenue SW and Highway 8).
- Twinning the Bow River Bridge on the northwest segment of the ring road and widening about two kilometres of Northwest Stoney Trail from Crowchild Trail to Scenic Acres Link.
The West Calgary Ring Road is expected to be open to traffic in 2022, one year after the completion of the southwest segment currently under construction.
