Airport Trail underpass clear for takeoff

The City of Calgary and the Calgary Airport Authority (YYC) reached an agreement in principle for an underpass under the new airport runway.

After years of discussions, The City and the Authority agreed to extend Airport Trail from Barlow Trail to 36 Street under the new airport runway.

Image from Mayor Nenshi's website

The parties are working on a legal agreement that will allow The City onto land YYC leases from the federal government. The agreement should be completed by mid-June so construction can start immediately.

"We've been planning and doing the technical examination of what was required for the tunnel for a number of years," said Ryan Jestin, Director of Roads wih Calgary Transportation. "Our plan is that the construction of the tunnel will have six lanes, will be constructed to six lanes, but those lanes won't necessarily be all open because one of the things we are considering is Bus Rapid Transit or a primary transit network through the tunnel."

The underpass provides an east-west connector and future LRT right of way for commuters and travelers. It’s an integral part of the northeast road network and an important connection to move people, goods and services between the airport and the rest of the city. As well, the underpass is the most viable way to provide future LRT to the airport terminal from the northeast LRT line.

Visuals of the northeast area transportation network are available on The City of Calgary’s website.

Related blog posts

• Calgary City News Blog: Airport Trail Underpass project - UPDATE
• Calgary City News Blog: Details on the Airport Trail Underpass
• Mayor Nenshi discusses the Airport Trail Underpass
• Closure of Barlow Trail NE - Airport Access after April 2