Deerfoot Trail Study recommends short-term improvements

The City of Calgary and Alberta Transportation are working together to develop a program of upgrades to manage traffic and improve safety on Deerfoot Trail. Over the last year, the study has considered more than one hundred iterations that have resulted in five short-term improvement recommendations for future consideration:

1. Southland Drive to Anderson Road / Bow Bottom Trail S.E. southbound basket weave
2. “Jughandle” intersection at 32 Avenue / 12 Street N.E.
3. Left-turn restrictions at McKnight Boulevard / 12 Street N.E. (existing Council-approved plan)
4. Northbound ramp connection between McKnight Boulevard and 64 Avenue N.E.
5. New northbound on-ramp from 11 Street N.E. 

Currently, there is no funding for short- or long-term improvements on Deerfoot Trail. Once funding is allocated, the short-term improvement recommendations are lower-cost options that could be implemented within two years.

Numerous short-term recommendations were generated by considering the results of more than 15 studies on Deerfoot Trail completed over the last 20 years, analyzing over 10,000 comments from citizens during the first phase of engagement in 2016, and a technical assessment of problems on the corridor today. Stakeholder workshops were held in late 2016 to gather feedback on the options.

The options needed to meet several criteria to be considered further:

• Provide benefits for five to 10 years
• Able to be designed and implemented within two years of being funded
• Offer improvements for problem locations that benefit the entire corridor
• Result in benefits that are greater than the cost within 10 years

Many improvement options were identified and considered along the entire corridor – in both directions – including for the problem areas around 17 Avenue S.E., Glenmore Trail and the Ivor Strong Bridge. The designs that will address those areas require significant infrastructure investment and do not meet the criteria mentioned above for consideration in the short-term. However, those areas will be addressed in the long-term recommendations. For more details on some of the options considered, please see the Short-term Options Stakeholder Workshop What We Heard report.

The short-term recommendations are preliminary and have been advanced enough to identify what additional land would be needed and the estimated cost to implement them. These details will help to inform future funding decisions.

To view the short-term improvement recommendations, and for more information about the study, please visit calgary.ca/deerfoot.

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Centre Street North paving project to begin this weekend

In order to extend the life of one of Calgary’s busiest roadways, Roads crews will be paving Centre Street North between 7 Avenue and Beddington Boulevard N.E. starting this weekend.  

 “We’ve identified sections of the roadway that are in immediate need of rehabilitation along Centre Street and hope to have the work completed over the next couple of weekends,” says Chris McGeachy, spokesperson for Roads.

Due to the scope of the work, crews will have to close various lanes which will have an impact on traffic.

“To maximize efficiency, we will begin work on localized sections of the northbound lanes this weekend, weather permitting, and then turn around and head southbound the following weekend,” adds McGeachy.

The first weekend closures will be focused on the northbound lanes, with milling work starting on Friday, Sept. 23.

• Milling on Centre Street N will take place on Friday, Sept. 23 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. from 7 Avenue to 16 Avenue. The road will be reduced to a single lane in each direction at various areas throughout this closure. Police will be onsite to detour traffic when milling work occurs in the intersections
• Milling and paving work will occur from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24 and Sunday, Sept. 25. During these times, the northbound lanes of Centre Street will be closed and two way traffic will be in place in the southbound lanes between 7 Avenue and Beddington Boulevard N.E. Motorists are advised to use alternate routes when possible.

While the schedule for the following weekend (Sept. 30 – Oct. 2) has not been finalized, motorist should expect to see similar closures in the southbound lanes during that time.

The City of Calgary’s Surface Overlay program helps rejuvenate our transportation network and provide a smooth surface for road users. For more information on paving, visit Calgary.ca/paving.

Labour Day weekend construction - what commuters need to know.

Long weekends are an opportune time to get construction done without impacting the 9-5 weekday commuters. While motorists may notice several projects around Calgary, these closures can happen for a variety of reasons.

Paving

This weekend, paving continues on Silver Ridge Drive N.W., 14 Street N.W. and Edmonton Trail N.W. Keep in mind this work is weather dependent and rain could cause delays. For more information on paving, visit Calgary.ca/paving.

• Edmonton Trail N.E. will be reduced to a single lane in each direction between 4 Avenue N.E. and 16 Avenue N.E. from 5 am to 10 pm on Saturday, Sunday and Monday this weekend.
• 14 Street N.W. has moved into phase 3 of 4 of paving work – traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction from Kensington Road to 5 Avenue N.W.
• Silver Ridge Drive N.W. will be closed to through-traffic between Silvercrest Drive N.W.  and Silvercrest Crescent N.W. beginning at 7 a.m. on Saturday. This closure remains in place until 7 p.m. on Monday and accommodates paving work.

LRT Maintenance Work

LRT maintenance work will occur on 14 Avenue N.W. This will affect certain bus/train routes, for more information visit calgarytransit.com.

• 14 Avenue N.W. is closed between 14 Street N.W. and 19 Street N.W. beginning at 10 p.m. on Friday. This closure continues until 11:59 p.m. on Monday and accommodates LRT maintenance work.

Water Services utility work

48 Avenue N.W. is reduced to a single lane in each direction at 23 Avenue N.W. and there will be no access to westbound 23 Avenue N.W. via 48 Avenue N.W. This closure remains in place until 8 p.m. on Sunday. Local access will be maintained in the area. This closure accommodates water services utility work.

• Elbow Drive is closed at 75 Avenue S.W. beginning at 7 p.m. tomorrow (Sept. 2). This closure remains in place until 5 a.m. on Monday and accommodates water services utility replacement. Motorists will be detoured around the closure via signage, and are advised to expect delays and use alternate routes when available.

Deep underground utility work

• 5 Avenue S.W. is closed between Centre Street and 1 Street S.W. beginning at 7 p.m. Friday (Sept. 2.) This closure remains in place until 5 a.m. on Tuesday.
• There will be a two-way setup on 4 Avenue S.E. between 1 Street S.W. and 1 Street S.E. beginning at 7 p.m. tomorrow (Sept. 2). This setup accommodates a detour around construction at Centre Street S, which will be closed between 4 Avenue S.E. and 6 Avenue S.E. during this time. This closure remains in place until 5 a.m. on Tuesday and accommodates deep utility work. Motorists are advised to expect delays and use alternate routes when possible.

Road paving is heating up - long weekend construction blog

Heading into the long-weekend, paving is heating up across the city.

“Paving is essential for maintaining our roadways. It helps restore a smooth surface and keeps the base layers intact to prevent costly and large impact roadwork from happening down the line,” says Chris McGeachy, Communication Advisor, Roads.

The long weekend is always an excellent opportunity for crews to get work done without the large volume of 9-5 traffic during the week. Here are some areas where motorists can expect delays this weekend:

NE

• Edmonton Trail is being paved from 16 Avenue N.E. to 42 Avenue N.E. on Saturday, July 30 and Sunday, July 31 from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Motorists can expect a single lane of traffic in each direction during the work.

NW

• Crowchild Trail N.W. will have lane reductions in both directions at the University LRT Station beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, July 30. Motorists can expect reduced speeds and delays in the area. This closure remains in place until 4 a.m. on Monday, August 1.
• Banff Trail N.W. will be closed to all northbound traffic at 16 Avenue N.W. beginning at 11:30 p.m. on Friday, July 29. This closure continues through 4 a.m. on Tuesday, August 2 and accommodates work on the Banff Trail C-Train station.
• The exit ramp from northbound Crowchild Trail N.W. to Northland Drive N.W. is closed beginning at 8 p.m. on Friday, July 28. This closure continues until 10 p.m. on Monday, August 1 and accommodates paving.
• Centre Street N will be reduced to a single lane in each direction at 31 and 32 Avenue N.W. beginning on Saturday, July 30 at 6 a.m. This closure continues until Sunday, July 31 at 8 p.m. and accommodates utility work.

SE

• Centre Street S is closed between 6 Avenue and 8 Avenue S.E. beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 29. This closure continues until 5 a.m. on Tuesday, August 2 and accommodates construction.

SW

• Anderson Road S.W. will be paved between 14 Street S.W. and Macleod Trail. There will be various lane closures along this stretch daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. beginning on Saturday, July 30. These closures also occur daily during these hours on Sunday, July 31 and Monday, August 1. Motorists should expect delays in the area and use alternate routes when possible.
• 17 Avenue S.W. between 8 Street and 9 Street S.W. will be closed beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 29. This closure continues until 5 a.m. on Tuesday, August 2 and accommodates deep utility installation. Eastbound traffic will be detoured to north and southbound 9 Street S.W. to 14 Avenue S.W. Westbound traffic will be detoured north of 8 Street to 14 Avenue S.W. and south on 9 Street to 17 Avenue S.W.

Intersection Approach Paving

From 5 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, July 30 there will be a various lane closures in certain intersections as part of the intersection approach paving program. Motorists should expect delays in the area.

• 16 Avenue at 6 Street N.E.
• 16 Avenue at Deerfoot Trail
• Memorial Drive at Deerfoot Trail

For more information on all these projects and more, visit Calgary.ca/paving.

Long weekend construction closures: May 20-23, 2016

Construction in full swing this long-weekend

Roads Construction work is an essential part in keeping Calgary’s roadways safe and in good condition. As construction zones are work spaces that often require lower speeds and narrowed lanes to maintain safety, motorists are reminded to slow down in construction zones or avoid these areas if possible.

While construction has been happening in our city for few months already, thanks to this year’s mild winter, the May long-weekend is officially the beginning of construction season.

In addition to some ongoing large infrastructure projects such as the Trans Canada Highway/ Bowfort Road N.W. Interchange, the Glenmore Trail and Ogden Road S.E. Interchange, Crowchild/Flanders Avenue Interchange , Macleod Trail / 162 Avenue S Interchange and the Government of Alberta’s Ivor Strong Bridge Rehabilitation on Deerfoot Trail S.E., there will be a number of smaller projects happening throughout Calgary this weekend that could have an impact on your commute.

Northeast

• The ramps from southbound 36 Street N.E. and Sunridge Way N.E. to westbound 16 Avenue N.E. will be closed for four hours starting at 10 p.m. this Saturday, May 21 for road construction.
• The ramps from eastbound 16 Avenue N.E. to northbound and southbound 36 Street N.E. will be closed from 10 p.m. on Saturday, May 21 to 8 a.m. on Sunday, May 22 for road construction.
• The left lane of both northbound and southbound Edmonton Trail N.E. are closed from 4 Avenue N.E. to 8 Avenue N.E. from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 21. A similar closure occurs from 8 Avenue to 16 Avenue N.E. from 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 21 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, May 22. These closures accommodates construction.

Northwest

• 13 Avenue N.W. will be closed at Centre Street N beginning at 8 p.m. tonight (May 20). During this closure, the southbound lanes of Centre Street N will be closed at 13 Avenue N.W. and a two-way setup will be in place in the northbound lanes. This closure remains in place until 5 a.m. on Monday, May 23 and accommodates construction.
• 5 Avenue N.W. will be closed between Crowchild Trail N.W. and 23 Street N.W. beginning at 6 a.m. on Saturday, May 21. This closure remains in place until 8 p.m. on Sunday, May 22 and accommodates utility work.

Southeast

• 84 Street S.E. will be closed at 50 Avenue S.E. beginning at 6 a.m. on Saturday, May 21. This closure continues until 6 p.m. on Monday, May 23 and accommodates railway crossing work.
• 3 Street S.E. will be closed between 6 Avenue and 9 Avenue S.E. beginning at 7 a.m. on Saturday, May 21. This closure continues until 5 a.m. on Tuesday, May 24 and accommodates Transit work.
• 6 Avenue S.E. will be closed between 4 and 5 Streets S.E. beginning at 7 p.m. tonight (May 20). During this closure the right lane and adjacent sidewalk of northbound 4 Street S.E. will be closed at 6 Avenue S.E. This closure continues until 5 a.m. on Tuesday, May 24 and accommodates Transit work.
• The right lane of eastbound 26 Avenue S.E. will be closed east of 11 Street S.E. beginning at 7 a.m. on Saturday, May 21. This closure continues to 6 p.m. on Sunday, May 22 and accommodates construction.

Southwest

• Eastbound 10 Avenue S.W. will be closed with a two-way setup in the westbound lanes between 7 Street and 8 Street S.W. beginning at 9 a.m. tonight (May 20). This closure accommodates Water Services work and remains in place until 8 p.m. on Sunday, May 22.
• 10 Avenue S.W. will be closed between 5 Street S.W. and 6 Street S.W. from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 21 for utility work.
• Northbound 11 Street S.W. will be closed and the southbound lanes reduced to a single lane between 8 Avenue and 9 Avenue S.W. starting at 7 a.m. on Saturday, May 21. During this closure, the two left lanes of 9 Avenue S.W. will be closed at 11 Street S.W. This closure remains in place until 7 p.m. on Monday, May 23 and accommodates utility work.

For more information or to see all the road/lane closures happening this weekend, visit calgary.ca/trafficinfo

New traffic calming device invented right here at The City of Calgary

Creating safe streets for Calgarians to walk, bike and drive on is a top priority at The City of Calgary. The traffic calming program is meant to address existing and measurable traffic problems in a community. Community traffic studies are conducted to determine what traffic management measures can be taken to encourage safe driving by slowing down the speed of motorists.

Senior Traffic Safety Engineer
 Tony Churchill

All too often though, Senior Traffic Safety Engineer, Tony Churchill was getting requests for traffic calming in communities across the city that he was unable to fulfill for a variety of reasons including cost.

“There are a lot of traffic calming measures such as curb extensions, small roundabouts and median islands that become quite cost-prohibitive due to pavement work, drainage issues and underground utilities,” Churchill said.

So, Tony decided to come up with a solution. He looked at the geometry of many common traffic calming measures and developed an oval shaped, low profile concrete unit that could be placed in a variety of ways to create the same results of other, more expensive, traffic calming measures.

These new traffic calming curbs are a cost-effective method that can be used to quickly address traffic calming issues.

“The goal of the traffic calming curbs is to change the geometry of the road in a way that feels safer and also results in fewer collisions resulting in injury or fatality for all of Calgary’s road users,” Churchill said.

Traffic Calming Curbs being installed on
Child Avenue N.E. in Bridgeland.

The curbs will be used to provide temporary traffic calming measures in communities where permanent solutions have not been budgeted for. They have been designed to withstand exposure to the elements and snow and ice control materials like salt and gravel and weigh over 1,700 pounds to prevent them from moving. They are also made out of yellow cement to make them easier to see and more visually appealing.

The traffic calming curbs are currently being piloted for effectiveness. For now, The City will begin using them on roads with a 50 km/h speed limit where issues have already been identified and traffic calming is required but cannot be immediately installed due to budget or other construction constraints. Once the pilot for the curbs has been completed and standards for their use have been determined there may be more opportunity for citizens to request them in their communities.

For more information on The City’s traffic calming program visit Calgary.ca.

New car2go microstalls coming to Calgary

Starting tomorrow, Calgarians will see some innovative new parking stalls pop up in and around Calgary’s downtown core. In total, 150 car2go microstalls will be made available to the car-sharing company’s members in 2016.

The spots will be located mostly in the downtown core and the Beltline and can be found on certain street corners and other curb space where a regular sized car would not fit. Installation for these stalls begins Friday, January 22 and will be officially rolled out over the next few months.

The City’s Traffic division conducted safety reviews at each microstall location to ensure that all traffic engineering and safety standards were met before the installation of each stall. The height and width of car2go smart cars allows motorists to still see oncoming traffic and pedestrians.

“Over 2015, we explored solutions to create hundreds of additional parking spots downtown, including such measures as angled parking, off-peak parking and designated stalls for small car-share vehicles,” Traffic engineer, Yeats Wong said. “Our goal is to optimize the space we have to provide Calgarians with more on-street parking options in the core.”

Car-sharing helps reduce the strain on Calgary’s parking infrastructure. The shared vehicles are small and eco-friendly and reduce the number of individual, full-sized vehicles in the core. The goal for this pilot project is to open up more spots for regular-sized cars by providing space specifically for car2go smart cars where regular sized cars won’t fit.

After working with car2go and the Calgary Parking Authority, a parking agreement between car2go and The City was finalized late last year.  Only registered microcars with a valid permit are allowed to use the new microstalls. So far, only two-door car2go vehicles have been issued these permits. However, this doesn’t mean that car2go users can only park in these new microstalls. They are encouraged to use them if they are available but will still be allowed to park in areas where on-street parking is legal.

“At The City we’re always looking at new, innovative solutions to make it easier for Calgarians to get around,” Wong said. “Data collected from this pilot will provide us with more information for future car-share and commercial parking policies.”

Lines for these stalls were painted last year. Once signage has been installed at a microstall location, two-door car2go vehicles will be able to park on-street in these microstalls.

5 Avenue S.W. to be converted to two-way street

After a successful trial of the 5 Avenue lane reversal downtown, The City is moving forward with phase two of the project – converting 5 Avenue S.W. between 5 Street S.W. and the west-end into a two-way street.

Proposed extension of the 5 Avenue lane reversal is marked in blue.

On May 19, 2015 The City of Calgary implemented a trial lane reversal system on 5 Avenue S.W. between 7 Street S.W. and the west-end of downtown.  This optimized the use of existing transportation infrastructure and aided outbound traffic flow from the downtown core during the afternoon peak period.

“Since May, the Transportation Department has monitored the 5 Avenue S.W. lane reversal,” said Ravi Seera, City of Calgary Traffic Manager. “Over time the lane reversal has shown increased use, providing Calgarians with another option for travelling west out of downtown.”

Traffic counts conducted in late September show over 840 vehicles used the reversed lanes between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., including almost 470 vehicles during the 4:20 p.m. to 5:20 p.m. peak hour. This one-hour traffic volume represents over 60 per cent of the capacity of the lane reversal.

To further optimize the use of 5 Avenue S.W., the Transportation Department is implementing the following changes to the operation of 5 Avenue S
.W. on a trial basis beginning, Thursday, October 15:

• 5 Avenue S.W. between 5 Street S.W. and the west-end of downtown will be converted to a two-way street at all times except during the morning peak period (6 to 9 a.m.) on weekdays.
• Motorists will be required to park facing westbound, on the north side of 5 Avenue S.W. between 5 Street S.W. and 10 Street S.W. at all times.
• Morning and afternoon peak period parking restrictions will apply. Please obey all posted parking signs.

“During the lane reversal trial we heard from citizens that a two block extension would make westbound travel on 5 Avenue more convenient,” Seera said. “Allowing two-way traffic operations for most of the day will improve congestion and provide better traffic circulation in the area using the city’s existing infrastructure.”

The two-way conversion will be in place for approximately six months as a pilot, after which time its success will be evaluated and next steps will be considered.  During the pilot, temporary traffic barricades and other control devices will be used, similarly to the operation of the current lane reversal.

For more information visit Calgary.ca/5Ave.

Major construction around Calgary this holiday weekend

With the shorter days and colder weather, The City of Calgary and its contracted partners continue working away at major projects. During the holiday weekend, there are a number of major closures that will affect your commute. Please be advised that weather can also cause delays to these projects.

Crowchild Trail / Flanders Avenue Interchange

• Beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday, September 4, both directions of Crowchild Trail are reduced to a single lane at Flanders Avenue S.W. Commuters are advised to expect major delays, as construction begins on the removal of the Flanders Avenue bridge. Commuters will be allowed to continue through this section of Crowchild via the exit ramps at Flanders Avenue, but will have no means of crossing Crowchild Trial. Alternate routes of Glenmore Trail and 33 Avenue S.W. are suggested. This closure continues until 5 a.m. on Tuesday, September 8.

Glenmore Trail Paving

• Various lane closures on Glenmore Trail S.E. at 11 Street S.E. beginning at 4 a.m. on Saturday, September 5 and continuing until 9 p.m. on Monday, September 7. This closure accommodates paving.

Sarcee Trail Paving

• From 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, September 4 there will be various lane closures on northbound Sarcee Trail S.W. between 17 Avenue S.W. and Richmond Road S.W. for milling work.

• Various lane closures on Sarcee Trail S.W. between 17 Avenue S.W. and Richmond Road S.W. from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. beginning on Saturday, September 5 for paving. This continues during these hours daily until 10 p.m. on Monday, September 7. Motorists are advised to expect delays.

Macleod Trail Paving

• Various closures on northbound Macleod Trail between 10 Avenue S.E. and 18 Avenue S.E. beginning at 4 a.m. on Saturday, September 5 and continuing until 9 p.m. on Monday, September 7. This closure accommodates paving.

Deep utility cuts on 5 Street S.W.

• 5 Street S.W. is closed between 6 Avenue S.W. and 8 Avenue S.W. beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday, September 4. This closure continues until 9 p.m. on Monday, September 7 and accommodates deep utility work.

Utility work on 10 Street N.W.

• 10 Street N.W. is closed at 2 Avenue N.W. beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday, September 4. This closure continues until 8 p.m. on Monday, September 7 and accommodates utility work.

For more information on road closures and traffic info, visit the Calgary traffic report and road closures page on Calgary.ca.