Major Road, Bike and Pedestrian Infrastructure Opens in Calgary

Calgary – A major piece of road infrastructure in Calgary’s southwest has been completed on time and on budget, and it is all thanks to an innovative government partnership. Federal Crown Corporation Canada Lands Company and The City of Calgary together redesigned and rebuilt the Flanders Avenue Interchange, which opened for a sneak preview on Saturday.

“Canada Lands Company is proud to deliver an important and enhanced road, bike and pedestrian network to Calgary,” said John McBain, CEO of Canada Lands Company (CLC). “We accomplished this with significant input from the community; on time and on budget.”

The new Flanders Interchange was made possible by an innovative partnership between a federal Crown corporation and civic government. The City of Calgary approved a plan in 2008 to upgrade Flanders Interchange. Funding was not available until 2013 when The City entered a borrowing partnership with Canada Lands Company. CLC invested $35 million and The City will repay $20 million in the future.

In 2013 and 2014, the partners undertook an extensive community consultation process that helped influence the design of the new interchange. City council approved the final design in November 2014 and construction began in September 2015, with CLC leading the process to completion.

“We are growing the economy and the middle class by investing in infrastructure projects such as the Flanders Interchange,” said Judy Foote, Minister of Public Services and Procurement. “Our government is committed to working with municipalities and provinces to support public infrastructure and improve the standard of living for Canadians in communities across the country."

“When we did public consultation on this project, Calgarians told us their key priorities were safety and traffic flow,” said Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi. “The new Flanders Interchange is built to meet these priorities with efficient traffic flow and safer mobility for cyclists and pedestrians. Safer design is particularly important for the children who live in the surrounding Currie neighbourhoods and attend school in the area.”

CLC undertook the Flanders Interchange project as part of its 195-acre master-planned development of Currie, the former military barracks that was decommissioned in 1998. Currie surrounds Flanders Interchange and will become a high-density urban center in southwest Calgary, with a wide variety of homes, office and institutional space, recreation amenities, bikeable and walkable networks, and heritage buildings.

“Currie promotes principles of new urbanism, which advocates sustainable built environments,” said McBain. “We have watched with pride how our first communities – Garrison Woods and Garrison Green – have helped shape the area, and we anticipate with excitement what Currie will become and contribute to the region in the coming years.”

Flanders Interchange supports several of Calgary’s policies and initiatives, including The City’s Transportation Plan, Municipal Development Plan and Complete Streets Policy.

The interchange will open to motorists in time for Monday’s morning rush hour.