Update #1
The Crowchild Trail Upgrades Project continues on this year with the estimated date of completion being Fall 2019. Given that a good majority of the construction work will take place this year, I’d like to provide you with an overview of how I expect this year to unfold:
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Project webpage:
The website for this project www.calgary.ca/crowchild continues to be updated bi-weekly with the most up-to-date and relevant construction information.
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Ongoing updates:
In addition to the website, we have also been sending out progress reports and construction updates via e-newsletter; If you would like to subscribe to these, please click here. Currently we have 450 subscribers.
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Noise wall engagement:
Noise wall engagement will begin in March and be completed by the third week of April. We will begin by first contacting the directly-impacted homeowners, and then complete this process by giving all neighbouring communities the opportunity to weigh in at the following public engagement session:
What? Public Noise Wall Engagement Session Drop-in Session
When? Tuesday, March 20, 2018 6:30 – 8:30 pm (Doors open at 6:30 pm)
Where? Alexander Ferguson School Gymnasium 1704 26 Street S.W.
Please Note: If community members are unable to attend the public engagement session in-person, they will also have the ability to provide feedback online from March 20 – April 10. -
2018 information session:
Similar to last year, we will be providing neighbouring communities with the opportunity to review the 2018 Crowchild Trail detailed construction plans and ask questions of the project team at the following information session:
What? Crowchild Trail Upgrades Project: 2018 Information Session
When? Wednesday, May 9, 2018 6:30 – 8:30 pm (Doors open at 6:30 pm)
Where? Hillhurst-Sunnyside Community Association South Social Hall 1320 5 Avenue N.W. -
Night-time work:
In order to mitigate major traffic impacts by restricting lane closures to weekends, and weekdays between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., there will be a significant amount of night work taking place this year. We will be monitoring noise levels and working closely with the impacted communities to ensure that not only are they kept in the loop on the work taking place near their homes, but also, that the work we are doing and the associated noise levels are tolerable.
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Coordinating projects:
Our Water Resources colleagues and Major Transit Projects colleagues will also be doing some work in the Crowchild Trail project area over the next two years and we are working closely together to ensure that our efforts are coordinated and that impacts to your communities are minimized as much as possible.
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Media coverage:
Similar to last year, we will be working with the media to ensure your community members are well aware that this project is continuing on for the next couple of years, and what they can expect in terms of impacts.
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Board meetings and/or AGM:
If there is an opportunity for myself and a couple of members of our project team to attend upcoming community association board meetings or your Annual General Meeting (AGM), please let me know. I will try my best to answer your questions, whether this be in-person, over the phone, or via email.
Construction continues and will begin to ramp up in late March/early April; I will continue to keep you, impacted businesses, and impacted property owners updated on progress and construction milestones as our work unfolds.
Update #2
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Reminder: 2018 information session
Our final public information session for the year takes place this Wednesday. We’ve arranged for our colleagues from other City departments who will also be working in this same project area this year and next to join us. Together, we are presenting citizens with a holistic approach of what to expect in terms of construction, detours, road and pathway closures, etc. We will also be presenting the findings of the noise wall engagement we did earlier this year and reporting back to the public on the noise wall locations, textures, colours and landscaping. We hope you will join us:
What? Crowchild Trail Upgrades Project: 2018 Information Session
When? Wednesday, May 9, 2018, 6:30 – 8:30 pm (Doors open at 6:30 pm)
Where? Hillhurst-Sunnyside Community Association – South Social Hall at 1320 5 Avenue N.W. -
Night-time work
Our construction zone has expanded further north up to 5 Avenue N.W., and along with this expansion comes night-time work closer to communities. In order to mitigate major traffic impacts by restricting lane closures to weekends, and weekdays between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., there is already, and will continue to be, a significant amount of night work taking place this year. The good news is that this road work up to 5 Avenue N.W. will be completed by the end of this year, but the next few months are going to be loud and disruptive. We are monitoring noise levels and where possible, doing the more disruptive work earlier on in the evenings. We are also keeping the lines of communication open with impacted communities and making adjustments where possible (i.e. Minimizing the use of back-up alarms, calling in extra crews to maximize efficiency, re-prioritizing some of the louder work on weekends, etc.). There is no way for us to eliminate the noise at night completely, however we are continuing to keep a close eye on night-time activity and the directly-impacted communities to ensure the associated noise levels are tolerable.
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Noteworthy closures
Tomorrow evening, we will be completing our second concrete pour on the Bow River Bridge. This means:
Friday, May 4 (9 p.m.) to Saturday, May 5 (9 a.m.):
· We will have a double lane closure on both northbound and southbound Crowchild Trail (between Bow Trail and memorial Drive)
· The eastbound Memorial Drive to southbound Crowchild trail ramp will be closed
More importantly, this also means that:
Saturday, May 5 (9 a.m.) to Tuesday, May 8 (5 a.m.):
· We will have a single lane closure on both northbound and southbound Crowchild Trail
There is the possibility that thanks to the warmer weather the concrete will cure faster than normal, and if this is the case we will obviously open lanes up sooner, but we wanted to bring your attention to the fact that we are planning for single lane closures on Crowchild Trail on Monday during both the morning and evening rushes.
Unfortunately, these closures are unavoidable during certain concrete pours. We’ve been messaging out this lane closure information for the past couple of weeks using road signs, the project page, and our Crowchild Trail e-newsletter.
As construction continues, I will keep you, impacted businesses, and impacted property owners up-to-date on the progress we’re making. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.
Regards,
Jeff
Senior Transportation Engineer, Crowchild Trail Upgrades