Calgary Deerfoot Trail construction to start in fall

The Alberta government announced they are going ahead with their first stage of improving Calgary’s Deerfoot Trail Monday, and will include upgrades between 64 Avenue and McKnight Boulevard.

The first step was posting a construction request tender for work on 64 Avenue and McKnight Boulevard on Aug. 18, with construction expected to begin in fall 2022, according to an Alberta government statement.

“This project is part of our plan to improve the most congested areas of Deerfoot Trail first to improve traffic flow and reduce travel times. Upgrades at 64 Avenue and McKnight Boulevard will be the first in a series of projects to address the most critical areas for improvement on the Deerfoot,” said Prasad Panda, Minister of Transportation.

The project is going to include an additional lane between McKnight Boulevard and 64 Avenue, and interchange improvements through ramp adjustments at the 64 Avenue interchange.

However, the government announced the cancellation of their public-private partnership (P3) approach to upgrading Deerfoot Trail due to increasing costs on July 12.

“While the government is not going ahead with a P3 approach, we remain committed to making improvements to Alberta’s busiest highway and will move ahead with the necessary upgrades to help people get to their destinations safely and more efficiently,” said Panda when the announcement was made.

According to the Alberta government, P3 encourages private sector organizations to come forward with creative financing solutions to help provide the facilities and other infrastructure Albertans need through the Unsolicited Proposal Framework.

According to the most recent statement, the government says the Deerfoot Trail project will be completed in smaller bundles, and will focus on the most congested areas of the highway.

Any future improvements for Deerfoot Trail will go through a construction tender process, which will include an interchange adjustment, widening and adding travel lanes, and improving crossroad conditions.

The projects will be worked on and made available for bidding individually, and the construction for those projects will be planned for 2023.

Deerfoot Trail handles around 180,000 vehicles per day and is one of Calgary’s major freeways.