A $769-million ring road leg, supposed to link Calgary’s largest cluster of trucking companies to Foothills Industrial Area, could open in the next few days, the Calgary Herald claims. But the infrastructure includes a flyover that won’t lead anywhere until next spring.
“People in this area more or less assumed that if there’s a flyover and we can see it from here, everything’s hunky and dory,” executive director of the Alberta Motor Transport Association, Don Wilson told the Herald.
The 61st Avenue S.E. flyover, however, leads to a dead end a short few meters away from the nearest city road and a direct route from the trucking centre to the city’s industrial core isn’t expected until as late as 2015.
“For the truckers that are kind of isolated on the other side of Stoney, we’re going to make sure they’re going to be able to use it by, I’m hoping, spring next year,” said roads director Ryan Jestin.
A few challenges stand in the way of quick progress, including the locations of a trailer camp for flood-dispatched High River residents, a wetland and private property along the route.
“The ring road will bring tremendous benefits for the safety, prosperity and success of Calgarians… and all Albertans because it will so dramatically improve traffic flows in, through and around Calgary and the surrounding region. And at the end of the day, it will improve our quality of life, allowing us to spend less time stuck in traffic, and more time with our loved ones,” said Premier Alison Redford in late October when a tentative land agreement was drawn.
In the meantime, Trevor Fridfinnson, senior vice president of Bison Transport, has 350 tractors based in the business park and the situation is costly.
“For people that work out here, it’s added a tremendous cost from time and fuel and the rest of those impacts that come in with spending more time in your vehicle and driving almost quite literally in circles,” Fridfinnson said.