States upgrading the Deerfoot Trail between Glenmore and Anderson Trails

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Premier Daniel Smith has announced that upgrades to the Deerfoot Trail are planned for this spring. This should address the Southeast bottleneck issue.

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Work is planned on a state-owned highway between the Glenmore Trail and the Anderson Road/Bow Bottom Trail, Smith said.

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She said congestion is a known problem in the area.

“We will solve this problem through improvements that include multiple interchanges with extra lanes and seven new bridges,” Smith said in a talk at the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.

“I am aware that an RFP has been issued and that Minister for Transport and Economic Corridors, Devin Drieshen, wants the deal to be in place and to proceed next spring.”

In a release, the state said the work would include improving the Bow Bottom Trail and Anderson Road, the Southland Drive and Glenmore Trail interchanges, and adding lanes to the highway.

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Deborah Yedlin, president and CEO of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, said the work is very important.

“When you think about how much time is lost, it actually adds up quite dramatically in terms of time lost in traffic when you think about the economic productivity costs,” she said. “And what we can do to ease that constraint is very important from an economic standpoint.”

The state estimates that the upgrades will save travelers about 900,000 hours each year, with an economic value of $23 million.

City Councilman Terry Wong said it would be great if people could get to their destinations 15-50% faster. “

“People will say, do you need a car? Well, they say road congestion doesn’t help with greenhouse gases either,” Wong said. “So getting people around and driving is the right investment.”

– with file by Josh Aldrich

brthomas@postmedia.com
twitter: @brodie_thomas