City makes major infrastructure investments in and around Downtown Calgary as 2024 construction season begins

Downtown Calgary is where many people live, work, play and learn. It is where we show who we are to the world, attracting tourists, visitors and investors to global events, and people who are looking to call this city home. To support our downtown and our growing city, The City of Calgary is investing in several major infrastructure projects in and around the downtown to extend the lifespan of our transportation infrastructure, bolster our flood resilience, and connect Calgarians in new ways.

As the construction of these projects begins over the coming months, Calgarians will want to be aware of the required detours and road closures that will be in place to support these important projects and allow extra travel time to get to their destinations.  

Extending the lifespan of transportation infrastructure

4 Avenue Flyover rehabilitation – Originally built in 1982, the 4 Avenue Flyover from Memorial Drive to Downtown Calgary is our city’s longest bridge structure. After 42 years of service, The City is investing $12.5 million to help the bridge continue to provide safe and reliable service for decades to come. Construction will begin in early April 2024 with intermittent lane closures for the first week, then it will operate with one lane open through the fall of 2025. The lane closure is necessary to allow contractors to safely replace and upgrade the guardrails along the bridge deck. 

Specific lane closures planned include:

1. Tuesday, April 2 to Friday, April 5 – Single lane closures will be in place on the Flyover, outside of the morning and afternoon rush hours, to conduct pre-construction site surveys.
2. Friday, April 5 at 9 p.m. to Monday, April 8 at 5 a.m. – Complete closure of the Flyover to set up construction.
3. Starting Monday, April 8 – One lane on the Flyover will reopen to traffic for main rehabilitation work to take place. Both lanes will be open to traffic during the Calgary Stampede but will then return to a single lane for work to be completed.

Mission Bridge rehabilitation - The Mission Bridge, along 4 Street S.W. at the south end of the Mission District, was originally built in 1915 and last upgraded in 1987. Major rehabilitation is needed now to help extend the bridge’s lifespan for additional decades. While we are conducting this critical repair work, we will also be improving the bridge for pedestrian and cyclist accessibility and safety by adding multi-use pathways. Construction is set to begin this spring and will continue through the end of 2025. The bridge will be closed to motor vehicles for about six months beginning in fall 2024.

Investing in flood and climate resilience and quality wastewater collection service for a growing city
 

Sunnyside Flood Barrier - Construction of the Sunnyside Flood Barrier will help protect homes and businesses from flood water and the type of damage seen in 2013, while providing building blocks for future climate resiliency. This project will be underway along Memorial Drive beginning in summer 2024 and into 2025.

The Inglewood Sanitary Trunk project – The existing sanitary trunk that carries wastewater from north Calgary, Airdrie and Cochrane to the Bonnybrook Wastewater Treatment Plant is nearing capacity. The new sanitary trunk is critical to maintaining a high level of sanitary service in Inglewood, Ramsay, and surrounding communities. Construction on the north and south sides of the Bow River, west of Zoo Road N.E., is underway and is expected to continue into summer 2025.

Connecting Calgarians to new downtown destinations
 

Green Line - Phase 1 of the Green Line builds 18 kilometres of new light rail transit from Shepard to Eau Claire. Green Line will carry 55,000 riders on opening day and provide direct access to 190,000 jobs in the downtown, Quarry Park and industrial areas. Construction is already underway with work happening in the downtown, Beltline and Ogden. Construction of stations, tracks and tunnels is expected to begin later in 2024.

Event Centre – More than an event centre, this project includes downtown’s only community ice rink, outdoor and indoor gathering spaces and a new mobility connection under 6 Street S.E. – in Calgary’s emerging Culture & Entertainment District. Together these investments will help position Calgary as a host city that attracts new concerts, performances, festivals and events that Calgarians can enjoy.  We expect to share the design and break ground in 2024.

The City’s 2024 construction program includes many other infrastructure projects across Calgary. The City will provide updates on individual projects and information to help Calgarians get around throughout the year.    

Calgarians encouraged to plan ahead for construction impacts
 

Many factors are considered when scheduling infrastructure projects and road closures, including coordination with other work happening in the area, emergency vehicle access, special events scheduled in the area, future planned project work, and available alternate routes, as well as the urgency of the work being completed.

The City makes every effort to minimize disruptions by coordinating work between projects, reviewing and changing traffic signal timing, and when possible, scheduling work outside of rush hour periods and on weekends to reduce traffic impacts.

When traveling near construction projects, Calgarians should plan for and expect delays and traffic congestion due to reduced lanes, lower speed limits and detours. Commuters are advised to allow extra travel time and use alternate routes and modes of transportation or carpool when possible. For up-to-date information on road closures and detours visit calgary.ca/trafficinfo.

We know that construction can be disruptive and make travel through the area more challenging. We thank Calgarians for your patience as we undertake much needed work to maintain and upgrade our infrastructure to improve our services for a growing city.