We've got some ideas about improving Deerfoot Trail for the future

The City of Calgary, in partnership with Alberta Transportation, is looking for feedback on a new set of preliminary concepts designed to improve Deerfoot Trail as traffic patterns change and grow over the next 30 years.

“We understand the important role Deerfoot Trail plays in the daily commutes, long-haul travel and business operations of Calgarians and Albertans,” says Jeffrey Xu, Project Manager with the City of Calgary. “Parts of Deerfoot Trail see up to 180,000 vehicles per day. We want to keep those vehicles moving and streamline their travel long-term with these proposals.”

Some of the main challenges that were identified through the first phase of the study in 2016 include: capacity, weaving, merging, diverging, intersection operations and safety. Building on the information gathered in the first phase of the study, the preliminary long-term concepts currently being presented look at increasing capacity, reducing travel time and improving safety on the corridor.

“We’ve developed preliminary design concepts and are looking for public input to help determine how Deerfoot Trail will operate 30 years into the future - what it will look like, as well as its role and function within Calgary’s Transportation Network,” explains Xu.

The Deerfoot Trail study consists of four phases: first public engagement and research, completed in Spring of 2016; followed by phase two that saw short term (5-10 years) recommendations; and now phase three will focus on long-term improvements (30+ years) and gathering feedback on proposed designs. Phase four will bring the study together in the form of recommendations for stakeholders and Council in winter of 2020.

Public input is being collected until November 25. Find the proposed design concepts, the online survey and a list of dates and locations where in-person feedback can be provided at calgary.ca/deerfoot.

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Deerfoot Trail Fast Facts:

• Part of the National Highway Network, The Deerfoot Trail has been owned and managed by Alberta Transportation since 2001.
• The majority of Deerfoot Trail was built between 1971 and 1982.
• Deerfoot Trail is an urban expressway for Calgarians, connecting them to their community, workplace or destination. It is also an urban section of the Queen Elizabeth II Highway.
• The highway is part of the Primary Goods Movement Network in Calgary and is designed to move large volumes of traffic over long distances.
• Other than Stoney Trail, Deerfoot Trail is the only road that provides a continuous north-south connection across the city and is the only north-south skeletal road serving central and east Calgary.
• The average daily traffic on Deerfoot Trail ranges from 83,000 vehicles per day at the south end to 170,000 vehicles per day north of Memorial Drive.