Crowchild Trail Upgrades

We're fixing the Crowchild Trail bridge over the Bow River and upgrading the way people travel in the area.

Project update: March 21, 2019

Important dates:

Thurs., March 21 to Fri., March 22 (Each night from 10 p.m. - 5 a.m.):

Watch for double lane closures, including intermittent traffic stoppages, along SOUTHBOUND Crowchild Trail.
Watch for double lane closures, including intermittent traffic stoppages, along NORTHBOUND Crowchild Trail.

Thurs., March 21 to Sun., March 31 (Every night EXCEPT SATURDAYS from 10 p.m. - 5 a.m.):

FULL CLOSURE of northbound 10 Avenue S.W. (Including a full closure of the 10 Ave. S.W. to northbound Crowchild Trail ramp).
Flaggers will be on-site to help direct vehicles to businesses along 10 Avenue S.W.

Fri., March 22 (From 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.):

Watch for a single lane closure on eastbound Memorial Drive/Parkland Boulevard.

Sat., March 23 (From 5 a.m. - 3 p.m.):

Watch for double lane closures (hence single lane traffic) on SOUTHBOUND Crowchild Trail over the Bow River.
FULL CLOSURE of the eastbound Memorial Drive/Parkdale Boulevard to southbound Crowchild Trail ramp. Use Kensington Road or 14 Street as detour.

Tree impacts:

While we make every effort to avoid impacts to trees, this March you'll notice some tree removals take place. Rest assured that replacement trees are being planted and in fact, by the time this project has been completed of the 129 trees that will have had to be removed, 338 will have been replanted as part of our compensation and restoration plan.

Watch for:

Lane shifts, re-alignments and new traffic patterns along northbound and southbound Crowchild Trail (between Bow Trail and the river [including over 10 Avenue S.W.]).
Intermittent lane closures and traffic shifts along Bow Trail, Memorial Drive, Kensington Road, and 5 Avenue N.W.
Overnight work (including paving and concrete demolition) between the hours of 9 p.m. - 5 a.m.
Lane and ramp closures, detours, protruding manholes, uneven road surfaces, and flaggers/police officers on-site directing traffic.
A high volume of workers on-site.
Intermittent walking and cycling detours.
Temporary transit detours and stop relocations.
The 10 Avenue S.W. detour.
Periodic closures of the westbound 10 Avenue S.W. ramp (from Bow Trail S.) - use Bow Trail as detour

Business access via westbound 10 Avenue S.W.

Reduced work platforms on the northbound Crowchild Trail bridge over the westbound Bow Trail ramps to the following vertical clearances:

4.3m for the westbound Bow Trail to northbound Crowchild Trail ramp
4.6m for the westbound Bow Trail to southbound Crowchild Trail ramp

The upgrades

Here's what the short-term upgrades mean for Crowchild Trail, as approved in the Crowchild Trail Study.

(Click for larger image)

Project timeline

Fall 2017 to Fall 2019

Project budget

$87 million

Managing the construction zone:

As construction continues here's what you can expect along Crowchild Trail (between Bow Trail and 5th Avenue N.W.):

Reduced (and enforced) speed limits.
Over 100 workers on-site at any given time - please slow down!
Narrowed traffic lanes to make space for crews.
Occasional ramp closures along Crowchild Trail will go into effect weekdays between 9 p.m. - 5 a.m.; road signs will reflect these accordingly.
Intermittent single and double lane closures along Crowchild Trail during weekday off-peak hours (Mon. to Fri. between 9 p.m. - 5 a.m.)
Intermittent single and double lane closures along Crowchild Trail on weekends (beginning Fridays at 9 p.m. and ending Mondays at 5 a.m.)
The building of road and pathway detours where required, to ensure people can still access their destinations.
The removal of trees where necessary, replanting, and landscape replenishments as part of this project.
The building of noise walls in select locations (community engagement took place earlier this year).

Business access

We are committed to keeping business accesses open throughout construction.

Please note that some business accesses have been modified slightly; these changes have been reflected accordingly via on-site signage.

All local businesses remain open during construction including (but not limited to):

Mercedes-Benz Downtown Calgary - Service and Parts
MDR Restoration Services
Magiclean/Kilroy Home Services
Legacy Group of Companies
Mars Environmental Services
MJ Systems
Courtney Automotive

Other north-south and east-west route alternatives in the area:

West of Crowchild Trail: Shaganappi Trail and Sarcee Trail
East of Crowchild Trail: 14 Street N.W.
North of the Bow River: Memorial Drive/Parkdale Boulevard, 16 Avenue N.W.
South of the Bow River: Bow Trail, 17 Avenue S.W., Glenmore Trail

Coming soon

We've got some major traffic shifts coming this summer. That means the construction zone will look completely different than what you're currently used to, and we'll actually have work zones in the middle of the road. We will give you plenty of notice, so stay tuned!

Did you know…?

There are over 1,000 barriers set up in the Crowchild Trail construction zone to help protect people working and driving through the area. That's equivalent to 3km worth of barriers!