City, province working to settle ‘technical issue’ with Green Line LRT project
Posted Mar 12, 2021 5:42 pm.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) — The City of Calgary and the provincial government are working closely to try and settle what Alberta’s Transportation Minister, Ric McIver, is calling a technical issue with the Green Line LRT project.
McIver says discussions have been going on for weeks to try and get the $5.5 billion project to a place where it can proceed.
“I can assure you that from both sides of the table, from the city and the province, we’re working together cooperatively towards, what I believe, is a common goal,” McIver said, as he assures any current issues are technical, not political.
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Though McIver says the problems are only technical, Ward 12 councilor Shane Keating is confused at the specific technical issues the Transportation Minister could be referring to.
“I would hope that the Green Line team had these technical issues on the phase one/stage one years ago as it is the section of the Green Line we’ve been building for decades, so there really should be no issues there,” Keating said.
Keating says he hasn’t received any correspondence from either the Green Line team or the provincial government on any of the issues being discussed.
“In my mind, we’re talking about the whole project, but it almost seems like a comparison as if you’re holding up the construction of the basement of your house because you don’t know the cost of the tile in the master bedroom, I just don’t get it,” he said.
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But, McIver is re-assuring those concerned that they are on track to figure out any current issues.
“The technical people from the City of Calgary are working cooperatively together as we speak and have been for weeks now to get to a place where we can proceed with the Green Line LRT,” McIver said.
Construction on the project is due to start this year, but if contracts can’t be awarded, the city will not be able to move forward.
The province has put up about $2 billion for the project, with $25 million set aside for it in this year’s budget.
