Shaganappi pedestrian overpass officially opens

The City of Calgary is pleased to announce the official opening of the Shaganappi pedestrian overpass. The overpass was completed this week and an opening celebration held in the community this morning.

“We are thrilled to announce that the overpass is open and ready for use,” said Michael Thompson, Director of Transportation Infrastructure for the City of Calgary. “This area was ranked as a top priority in a 2011 pedestrian overpass project study, and we’ve achieved our objective of building an overpass that links communities, connects pathways and improves safety for pedestrians.”

The Shaganappi pedestrian overpass was recommended as priority one in the 2011 Pedestrian Overpass Priority Study based on demand and feasibility.

Part of that priority ranking was due to the number of people jay-walking across Shaganappi Trail. On an average day in November 2011, 129 people crossed unsafely in the area near the new pedestrian overpass.

“Our hope is that this new pedestrian overpass will deter that unsafe jay-walking behaviour and keep pedestrians, cyclists and other pathway users that much safer,” continued Thompson.

The $5 million overpass project was accompanied by a small pathway connections project, which included the development of a new pathway that connects the new overpass to a park just a block to the west.

The City would like to thank its project partners for their hard work, the community for their patience during construction and Councillor Druh Farrell for her support since the beginning of this project.

For more information about the Shaganappi pedestrian overpass, please visit www.calgary.ca/shaganappi.

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