West Calgary Ring Road finished 10 months ahead of schedule
Posted Dec 18, 2023 9:02 am.
Last Updated Dec 18, 2023 2:56 pm.
Decades of work and over a billion dollars have been put into Calgary’s ring road, and the project is complete — 10 months ahead of schedule.
Premier Danielle Smith joined Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek, Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen and Calgary-Lougheed MLA Eric Bouchard on location Monday along the final nine kilometres of the Calgary Ring Road to make the announcement.
The west section, made up of six and eight lane divided highway, six interchanges, and 24 bridges, is the final part of the road to be finished.
Officials say that not only is the last part of the project finished substantially early, it’s also on budget at just over $1 billion.
Read more: West Calgary Ring Road at Bow Trail interchange and Stoney Trail partially opening
Dreeshen said Monday that since the commencement of construction in 1999, more than $4 billion was invested in the whole project, which accumulates to 197 bridges and 48 interchanges.
Stretched into a single lane, the highway is 1,304 kilometres long — the distance from Calgary to Winnipeg.
The transportation minister said Calgary’s ring road was touched by many hands and minds, and discussions began as early as the 1950s.
In the ’70s, former premier Peter Lougheed began high-level planning and started to acquire land from which a transportation utility corridor was created, he explained, and construction on the ring road began in 1999 under former premier Ralph Klein.
The long stretch of free-flow travel around the city is expected to reduce congestion, improve access to hospitals, schools, workplaces, recreational amenities, and make the lives of commuters less stressful.
The province also says the ring road will drive traffic away from heavily travelled and congested routes like Deerfoot Trail, 16 Avenue, Glenmore Trail and Sarcee Trail.
The road was initially anticipated to open in October 2024 but drivers will first be able to try out the new pavement the Tuesday morning.
-With files from Logan Stein and Alejandro Melgar
