Calgary’s Stephen Avenue Revitalization renovations complete

Renovations to Calgary’s Stephen Avenue on the southeast side are finally complete, the city announced Monday.

Saying the construction, which began in 2025, is now “substantially complete,” officials note patios and public spaces along 8 Avenue will be able to reopen in time for the Stampede.

Surface-level renovations on the curbless street include the addition of trees, benches, and renewed streetscape supports for festivals and everyday use.

Underneath Stephen Avenue, water, stormwater, power, and lighting infrastructure were among the different projects renovated on the popular main strip.

“Some of the utilities beneath this block of Stephen Avenue were more than 100 years old and required replacement to ensure the avenue can continue serving Calgarians in the coming years,” the city release reads.

The city says crews worked closely with businesses, property owners, community partners, and Calgarians to maintain access, provide regular updates and respond to operational concerns.

“Completing a project of this scale in the heart of downtown required close collaboration every step of the way,” said Amy Stansky, the project manager for The City of Calgary.

“We are grateful to the businesses, property owners and community partners who worked with us throughout construction. Their feedback helped us maintain access, respond to challenges and successfully deliver critical infrastructure upgrades that will support Stephen Avenue and downtown Calgary for decades.”

The Stephen Avenue Revitalization project began in 2019 with a public realm study. It proposed incorporating “public life” into public spaces. Public life is defined as social activities in everyday public spaces, including streets, parks, plazas, and spaces in between buildings. Essentially, spaces outside the home, work, and vehicles.

Following the creation of a streetscape master plan and a design phase, construction on 1 Street SE to Centre Street began in 2025. The budget for Phase 4 of the project, or the first phase of construction, was projected at $36.2 million.

The construction was nearly thwarted after businesses in the area threatened legal action, prompting the city to delay its original start of July 14, 2025.

The owners of businesses along 8 Avenue in the downtown core cited a $75 million class-action lawsuit put forward by business owners in Marda Loop over the city’s main streets project as one of the reasons for the action. They also said at the time that construction disruptions would severely damage businesses in the area.

The city says it had regular engagement with businesses from November 2024 onward, following consultation and surveys for the project in 2019-2023.

More information on the project and its timeline can be found on the City of Calgary website.