16 Avenue N.E. Functional Planning Study – Deerfoot Trail to Barlow Trail

The City conducted a transportation study to determine plans for a future interchange at the intersection of 16 Avenue and 19 Street N.E. The study looked at interim and long-term requirements such as the amount of space needed (i.e. right-of-way), upgrades, and estimated costs.

On May 8, 2017, Council received a report on alternative design solutions for information and reconfirmed its June 15, 2015 approval of the study recommendations described in the Executive Summary (attachment 1).

Study purpose

Determined the design and configuration of a future interchange at 16 Avenue and 19 Street N.E. that considered the proximity of existing interchanges at Deerfoot Trail and Barlow Trail.
Identified opportunities to enhance walking, biking and transit connections.

While there is currently no funding available to construct the recommendations from this study, conducting the study now will allow The City to prioritize and plan for future transportation infrastructure projects through the 10-year Investing in Mobility plan.

Study scope

The functional planning study included the following considerations:

Current and future traffic volumes.
Existing and future access requirements for area residents and businesses.
Geotechnical and environmental site assessment (e.g. underground contaminants).
Location of gas, electrical and telecommunication utilities.
Other issues identified through the study process.

Public engagement process

The public engagement process gathered interested parties and community input so feedback could be reflected in the recommended option as much as possible.

Phase 1 - Community Member Meeting and Public Open House/Online Feedback
(April to June 2013)

The initial phase of the public engagement process focused on understanding the current transportation issues and developing decision-making criteria. The City met with area businesses and community representatives, held a public open house and conducted an online survey to introduce the project, seek input on the engagement process and transportation issues in the area. View comments gathered from the initial community member meeting as well as from the open house and online survey.

Phase 2 - Community Member Workshop (July to October 2013)

Using the information from the initial community member meeting, public open house and online survey, the project team developed numerous options. In September 2013, a group of community member participated in a workshop to refine the options. View the results of that workshop.

Phase 3 - Public Open House/Online Feedback (November 2013 to February 2014)

After analyzing the input received from the community member workshop, the project team combined and refined options to end up with four options to present to the community at an open house in December 2013. View the results of that public input.

Phase 4 - Public Information Session (March 2014)

The project team used the input received from the December 2013 open house and online feedback forms and technical analysis to identify a long-term and short-term recommended option. Both the short-term and long-term recommended options were presented to the community at a public information session in March 2014. View the results of that public input.

Additional public engagement

In November 2014, The City presented the 16 Avenue / 19 Street N.E. Interchange Functional Planning Study recommendations to Council. The recommendations involve changes to the Deerfoot Trail and Barlow Trail interchanges on 16 Avenue N.E. because of the close proximity to 19 Street N.E., so Council asked City staff to hold additional public engagement sessions to ensure Calgarians are aware of the proposed changes to the other intersections. The project name was changed to 16 Avenue N.E. Functional Planning Study - Deerfoot Trail to Barlow Trail to better reflect the scope of the study.

The project team held three additional open houses in Rundle, Pineridge and Mayland Heights in February and March 2015, to ensure Calgarians are aware of the proposed changes to the other intersections. Attendees viewed the recommended options and learned how public input was used in the decision-making process and the next steps of the project before moving to City Council for approval.

View the public input summary report from these open houses.